The title test comes early for the Moorpark College football team Saturday.

Despite being idle over the weekend, Moorpark (3-1) rose four spots to No. 21 in JC Gridwire's national Top 25 entering its showdown at No. 2 College of the Canyons (5-0) Saturday in the Raiders' SCFA Northern Conference opener in Santa Clarita.

"I don't know where they're ranked, but they're the best team we've seen," said Moorpark coach Jim Bittner.

A state and national championship contender this year, Canyons has been far and away the team of the decade among former Western State Conference programs, winning division championships for six straight years from 2000 to 2005.

Yet the Raiders have given Canyons some trouble during that span. Canyons' 44-game WSC winning streak from 2000 to 2006 fit snugly between two trips to Moorpark.

Ray Carmel's 95-yard kickoff return with four minutes left earned Moorpark a 31-26 win over the Cougars on Oct. 28, 2000.

Less than seven years later, Cameron Merrill threw for 358 yards and four touchdowns, including an 80-yard strike to Tony Washington and an 82-yard strike to Conrad Meadows, as Moorpark snapped the Cougars' WSC streak 35-28.

"One thing, we've never been intimidated by them," said Bittner. "We've always played them.

"We have an opportunity. Our only advantage is they've annihilated everybody."

Canyons leads the state in scoring, averaging 50.4 points per game.