2021 NCAA Division III football rankings

Last updated
2021 NCAA Division III football rankings
NCAA logo.svg
Season 2021
Postseason Single-elimination
National champions Mary Hardin–Baylor
Conference with most teams in final poll WIAC (3)
NCAA Division III football rankings
  2019
2022  

Two human polls and a committee's selections comprise the 2021 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III football rankings. Unlike in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the NCAA, Division III's college football's governing body, bestows a national championship on the winner of the Stagg Bowl – the championship round of a 32-team postseason tournament. The main weekly poll that begins in the preseason is the D3Football.com Poll which ranks the top 25 colleges in Division III football. One additional poll is released midway through the season, the AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll.

Contents

Legend

 Increase in ranking
 Decrease in ranking
 Not ranked previous week or no change
 Selected for College Football Playoff
(#–#)
 Win–loss record
(Italics)
 Number of first place votes
т
Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

D3Football.com poll

Preseason
July [1]
Week 1
September 6 [2]
Week 2
September 12 [3]
Week 3
September 19 [4]
Week 4
September 26 [5]
Week 5
October 3 [6]
Week 6
October 10 [7]
Week 7
October 17 [8]
Week 8
October 24 [9]
Week 9
October 31 [10]
Week 10
November 7 [11]
Week 11
November 14 [12]
Week 12 (Final)
December 18 [13]
1. Mary Hardin–Baylor (10)Mary Hardin–Baylor (1–0) (12)Mary Hardin–Baylor (2–0) (13)North Central (IL) (2–0) (12)North Central (IL) (3–0) (16)North Central (IL) (4–0) (17)North Central (IL) (5–0) (17)North Central (IL) (6–0) (17)North Central (IL) (7–0) (17)North Central (IL) (8–0) (18)North Central (IL) (9–0) (18)North Central (IL) (10–0) (18)Mary Hardin–Baylor (15–0) (25)1.
2. Mount Union (6)Mount Union (1–0) (4)Wisconsin–Whitewater (2–0)Mary Hardin–Baylor (3–0) (10)Mary Hardin–Baylor (4–0) (8)Mary Hardin–Baylor (5–0) (7)Mary Hardin–Baylor (5–0) (7)Mary Hardin–Baylor (6–0) (7)Mary Hardin–Baylor (7–0) (7)Mary Hardin–Baylor (8–0) (7)Mary Hardin–Baylor (9–0) (7)Mary Hardin–Baylor (10–0) (7)North Central (IL) (13–1)2.
3. North Central (IL) (4)Wisconsin–Whitewater (1–0) (1)Mount Union (1–0) (4)Wisconsin–Whitewater (3–0) (1)Wisconsin–Whitewater (3–0)Wisconsin–Whitewater (4–0)Wisconsin–Whitewater (5–0)Wisconsin–Whitewater (6–0)Wisconsin–Whitewater (7–0)Wisconsin–Whitewater (8–0)Wisconsin–Whitewater (9–0)Wisconsin–Whitewater (10–0)Wisconsin–Whitewater (13–1)3.
4. Wisconsin–Whitewater (1)North Central (IL) (0–0) (4)North Central (IL) (1–0) (4)Mount Union (2–0) (2)Mount Union (3–0) (1)Mount Union (4–0) (1)Mount Union (5–0) (1)Mount Union (6–0) (1)Mount Union (7–0) (1)Mount Union (8–0)Mount Union (9–0)Mount Union (10–0)Mount Union (13–1)4.
5. Wheaton (IL) (4)Wheaton (IL) (1–0) (4)Wheaton (IL) (1–0) (4)Wheaton (IL) (1–1)Wheaton (IL) (2–1)Wheaton (IL) (4–0)Saint John's (MN) (5–0)Saint John's (MN) (6–0)Saint John's (MN) (7–0)Saint John's (MN) (8–0)Saint John's (MN) (9–0)Saint John's (MN) (10–0)Linfield (11–1)5.
6. Saint John's (MN) Saint John's (MN) (1–0)Hardin–Simmons (2–0)Saint John's (MN) (2–0)Saint John's (MN) (3–0)Saint John's (MN) (4–0)Wheaton (IL) (4–1)Wheaton (IL) (5–1)Wheaton (IL) (6–1)Wheaton (IL) (7–1)Wheaton (IL) (8–1)Wheaton (IL) (9–1)Central (IA) (12–1)6.
7. Hardin–Simmons Hardin–Simmons (1–0)Saint John's (MN) (1–0)Hardin–Simmons (3–0)Hardin–Simmons (3–1)Linfield (3–0)Linfield (4–0)Linfield (5–0)Linfield (6–0)Linfield (7–0)Linfield (8–0)Linfield (9–0)Muhlenberg (11–2)7.
8. Salisbury Salisbury (1–0)Muhlenberg (2–0)Wisconsin–Oshkosh (2–0)Wisconsin–Oshkosh (2–0)Hardin–Simmons (4–1)Hardin–Simmons (4–1)Hardin–Simmons (5–1)Hardin–Simmons (6–1)Hardin–Simmons (7–1)Hardin–Simmons (8–1)Central (IA) (10–0)Saint John's (MN) (11–1)8.
9. Wisconsin–Oshkosh Muhlenberg (1–0)Wisconsin–Oshkosh (2–0)Linfield (2–0)Linfield (2–0)Wisconsin–Oshkosh (3–0)Delaware Valley (5–0)Delaware Valley (6–0)Central (IA) (7–0)Central (IA) (8–0)Central (IA) (9–0)Delaware Valley (10–0)Wheaton (IL) (10–2)9.
10. Linfield Delaware Valley (1–0)Delaware Valley (2–0)Delaware Valley (3–0)Delaware Valley (3–0)Delaware Valley (4–0)Central (IA) (6–0)Central (IA) (6–0)Delaware Valley (7–0)Delaware Valley (8–0)Delaware Valley (9–0)Hardin–Simmons (9–1)Hardin–Simmons (9–1)10.
11. John Carroll Wisconsin–Oshkosh (1–0)Linfield (1–0)Washington & Jefferson (3–0)Washington & Jefferson (4–0)Central (IA) (5–0)Wisconsin–La Crosse (4–1)Washington & Jefferson (6–0)Salisbury (5–1)Salisbury (6–1)Salisbury (7–1)Wisconsin–La Crosse (8–2)Wisconsin–La Crosse (9–3)11.
12. Delaware Valley Linfield (0–0)Washington & Jefferson (2–0)Union (NY) (3–0)Union (NY) (4–0)Washington & Jefferson (5–0)Washington & Jefferson (6–0)Salisbury (4–1)Union (NY) (7–0)Wisconsin–La Crosse (7–1)Wisconsin–La Crosse (7–2)Salisbury (8–0)Trinity (TX) (9–1)12.
13. Muhlenberg Washington & Jefferson (1–0)Union (NY) (2–0)Bethel (MN) (2–0)Central (IA) (4–0)Salisbury (3–1)Salisbury (3–1)Union (NY) (6–0)Wisconsin–La Crosse (6–1)Union (NY) (8–0)Bethel (MN) (8–1)Cortland (10–0)RPI (11–2)13.
14. Central (IA) Union (NY) (1–0)Salisbury (1–1)Central (IA) (3–0)Salisbury (2–1)Union (NY) (5–0)Johns Hopkins (5–0)Wisconsin–La Crosse (5–1)Bethel (MN) (6–1)Bethel (MN) (7–1)Cortland (9–0)Bethel (MN) (8–2)Johns Hopkins (10–2)14.
15. Union (NY) Wartburg (1–0)Bethel (MN) (2–0)Salisbury (1–1)Johns Hopkins (4–0)Johns Hopkins (5–0)Union (NY) (6–0)Bethel (MN) (5–1)Ithaca (7–0)Cortland (8–0)Muhlenberg (8–1)Muhlenberg (8–1)Delaware Valley (11–1)15.
16. Bethel (MN) Central (IA) (1–0)Central (IA) (2–0)Randolph–Macon (3–0)Bethel (MN) (2–1)Bethel (MN) (3–1)Bethel (MN) (4–1)Ithaca (6–0)Cortland (7–0)Muhlenberg (7–1)Trinity (TX) (8–0)Trinity (TX) (9–1)Cortland (11–1)16.
17. Randolph–Macon Bethel (MN) (1–0)Chapman (2–0)Chapman (3–0)Ithaca (3–0)Ithaca (4–0)Ithaca (5–0)Cortland (6–0)Muhlenberg (6–1)Johns Hopkins (7–1)Johns Hopkins (8–1)Johns Hopkins (9–1)Bethel (MN) (8–3)17.
18. Wartburg Chapman (1–0)Randolph–Macon (2–0)Johns Hopkins (3–0)Whitworth (3–0)Whitworth (4–0)Wisconsin–Oshkosh (3–1)Muhlenberg (5–1)Susquehanna (7–0)Trinity (TX) (7–0)Ithaca (8–1)RPI (9–1)Birmingham–Southern (10–2)18.
19. Washington & Jefferson Randolph–Macon (1–0) Ithaca (2–0)Ithaca (3–0)Cortland (3–0)Cortland (4–0)Cortland (5–0)Susquehanna (6–0)Trinity (TX) (6–0)Birmingham–Southern (8–0)Wisconsin–Oshkosh (6–2)Birmingham–Southern (9–1)Salisbury (8–2)19.
20. Westminster (PA) Brockport (1–0)John Carroll (0–1)Whitworth (3–0)Wisconsin–La Crosse (2–1)Wisconsin–La Crosse (3–1)Susquehanna (5–0)Johns Hopkins (5–1)Johns Hopkins (6–1)Wisconsin–Oshkosh (5–2)Baldwin Wallace (8–1)Ithaca (8–2)Wisconsin–River Falls (9–2)20.
21. Chapman Aurora (0–1)Johns Hopkins (2–0)John Carroll (1–1) Hobart (4–0)Muhlenberg (4–1)Muhlenberg (4–1)Trinity (TX) (5–0)Wisconsin–Oshkosh (4–2)Baldwin Wallace (7–1)RPI (8–1)Randolph–Macon (9–1)Ithaca (8–2)21.
22. Brockport John Carroll (0–1)Heidelberg (1–0)Heidelberg (2–0)John Carroll (1–2)John Carroll (2–2)John Carroll (3–2)Birmingham–Southern (6–0)Birmingham–Southern (7–0)Washington & Jefferson (7–1)Birmingham–Southern (8–1)Wisconsin–River Falls (8–2)Aurora (8–3)22.
23. Aurora Heidelberg (1–0)Whitworth (2–0)Wisconsin–La Crosse (2–1)Muhlenberg (3–1)Susquehanna (5–0) Trinity (TX) (4–0)Wisconsin–Oshkosh (3–2)Baldwin Wallace (6–1) RPI (7–1)Union (NY) (8–1)Aurora (8–2)Randolph–Macon (9–1)23.
24. Heidelberg Whitworth (1–0) Wisconsin–La Crosse (2–0)Muhlenberg (2–1)Westminster (PA) (2–1)Westminster (PA) (3–1) Birmingham–Southern (5–0)John Carroll (4–2)Washington & Jefferson (6–1)Ithaca (7–1)Randolph–Macon (8–1) Lake Forest (10–0)Redlands (8–2)24.
25. Berry Johns Hopkins (1–0)Berry (2–0) Cortland (3–0) Susquehanna (4–0)Hobart (4–1) Baldwin Wallace (4–1)Baldwin Wallace (5–1)John Carroll (5–2)Susquehanna (7–1) DePauw (8–1) Redlands (8–1)Lake Forest (10–1)25.
Preseason
July [14]
Week 1
September 6 [15]
Week 2
September 12 [16]
Week 3
September 19 [17]
Week 4
September 26 [18]
Week 5
October 3 [19]
Week 6
October 10 [20]
Week 7
October 17 [21]
Week 8
October 24 [22]
Week 9
October 31 [23]
Week 10
November 7 [24]
Week 11
November 14 [25]
Week 12 (Final)
December 18 [26]
Dropped:
Westminster (PA)
Berry
Dropped:
Wartburg
Brockport
Aurora
Dropped:
Berry
Dropped:
Randolph–Macon
Chapman
Heidelberg
NoneDropped:
Whitworth
Westminster (PA)
Hobart
NoneNoneDropped:
John Carroll
Dropped:
Washington & Jefferson
Susquehanna
Dropped:
Wisconsin–Oshkosh
Baldwin Wallace
Union (NY)
DePauw
None

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