The Gold Rush are officially ranked among the nation's best teams, checking in at No. 25 in the latest release of the NAIA poll. 

XULA, 2-1 and coming off a win over ranked LSU-Shreveport, has a Friday-night home showdown with No. 13 John Brown (Ark.). 

All told, six SSAC teams were featured in the poll. William Carey was the highest-ranking of XULA's conference opponents at No. 8, followed closely by No. 9 Life. Faulker was ranked No. 22, and Tennessee Southern and Dalton State each received votes. 

Oklahoma Wesleyan received the No. 1 ranking. The full Top 25 is available on the NAIA website.