# 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.
After the prior season was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, resulting in some conferences canceling their seasons and significant rescheduling by other conferences, the 2021 season returned to its traditional fall scheduling. The season ended with a single-elimination tournament, with the championship game held on January 8, 2022 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State won its ninth championship in eleven seasons, defeating Montana State, 38-10, for the title.

## Notable headlines

* September 4 – In Kevin Kelley's debut as head coach of Presbyterian, Ren Hefley threw for 10 touchdowns in the Blue Hose's 84–43 win over NAIA member St. Andrews, breaking the previous FCS record of 9 first set in 1984 by Willie Totten of Mississippi Valley State and equaled in 2007 by Drew Hubel of Portland State. Blue Hose backup quarterback Tyler Huff added 2 TD passes to set a new Division I team record (for both FCS and FBS) of 12, surpassing the previous record of 11 thrown by David Klingler of Houston against Eastern Washington in 1990.
* November 12 – The Utah Legislature approved changing the name of FCS member Dixie State University to Utah Tech University, effective in the 2022–23 academic year.

## FCS team wins over FBS teams

September 2: UC Davis 19, Tulsa 17 September 3: Eastern Washington 35, UNLV 33 September 3: South Dakota State 42, Colorado State 23 September 4: Holy Cross 38, UConn 28 September 4: Montana 13, No. 20 Washington 7 September 4: East Tennessee State 23, Vanderbilt 3 September 11: Duquesne 28, Ohio 26 September 11: Jacksonville State 20, Florida State 17 September 18: Incarnate Word 42, Texas State 34 September 18: Northern Arizona 21, Arizona 19 November 6: Rhode Island 35, UMass 22 November 13: Maine 35, UMass 10

## Conference changes and new programs

* The Western Athletic Conference (WAC), which had last played football in the 2012 season as an FBS league, reinstated football for the 2021 season at the FCS level. The ASUN Conference also announced in 2021 that it would sponsor FCS football in the future.
* Because WAC and ASUN programs reclassifying from Division II could not be counted toward the minimum of six members required for a conference champion to be an automatic qualifier (AQ) for the FCS postseason, the two conferences pooled their seven members with active FCS programs in 2021 (four WAC, three ASUN) to form the WAC–ASUN Challenge, a temporary league also referred to as the AQ7.
| School | 2020-21 conference | 2021 conference |
| Abilene Christian | Southland | WAC–ASUN Challenge |
| Bethune–Cookman | MEAC | SWAC |
| Central Arkansas | Southland | WAC–ASUN Challenge |
| Dixie State | FCS Independent | WAC |
| Eastern Kentucky | Ohio Valley | WAC–ASUN Challenge |
| Florida A&M | MEAC | SWAC |
| Jacksonville State | Ohio Valley | WAC–ASUN Challenge |
| Lamar | Southland | WAC–ASUN Challenge |
| North Carolina A&T | MEAC | Big South |
| Presbyterian | FCS independent | Pioneer |
| St. Thomas (MN) | MIAC (D-III) | Pioneer (FCS) |
| Sam Houston State | Southland | WAC–ASUN Challenge |
| Stephen F. Austin | Southland | WAC–ASUN Challenge |
| Tarleton State | FCS Independent | WAC |

## Conference standings

2021 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 2021 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Sacramento State $^  8 –0  9 –3   No. 2 Montana State ^  7 –1  11 –3   No. 7 Eastern Washington ^  6 –2  10 –3   No. 6 Montana ^  6 –2  10 –3   No. 17 UC Davis ^  5 –3  8 –4   Weber State  5 –3  6 –5   Northern Arizona  4 –4  5 –6   Portland State  4 –4  5 –6   Idaho  3 –5  4 –7   Northern Colorado  2 –6  3 –8   Cal Poly  1 –7  2 –9   Idaho State  1 –7  1 –10   Southern Utah  0 –8  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2021 Big South Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 11 Kennesaw State $^  7 –0  11 –2   Monmouth  6 –1  7 –4   North Carolina A&T  3 –4  5 –6   North Alabama  3 –4  3 –8   Charleston Southern  3 –4  4 –6   Hampton  3 –4  5 –6   Robert Morris  3 –5  4 –6   Campbell  2 –5  3 –8   Gardner–Webb  2 –5  4 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2021 Colonial Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 James Madison +^  7 –1  12 –2   No. 8 Villanova +^  7 –1  10 –3   Elon  5 –3  6 –5   Rhode Island  4 –4  7 –4   Maine  4 –4  6 –5   Richmond  4 –4  6 –5   William & Mary  4 –4  6 –5   Stony Brook  4 –4  5 –6   Delaware  3 –5  5 –6   Towson  3 –5  4 –7   New Hampshire  2 –6  3 –8   Albany  1 –7  2 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll |
| 2021 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 20 Dartmouth +  6 –1  9 –1   No. 24 Princeton +  6 –1  9 –1   Harvard  5 –2  8 –2   Yale  4 –3  5 –5   Columbia  4 –3  7 –3   Penn  1 –6  3 –7   Brown  1 –6  2 –8   Cornell  1 –6  2 –8   + – Conference co-championsRankings from STATS Poll | 2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  South Carolina State $  5 –0  7 –5   North Carolina Central  4 –1  6 –5   Delaware State  2 –3  5 –6   Norfolk State  2 –3  6 –5   Howard  1 –4  3 –8   Morgan State  1 –4  2 –9   $ – Conference champion | 2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 North Dakota State $^  7 –1  14 –1   No. 14 Missouri State ^  6 –2  8 –4   No. 16 Southern Illinois ^  5 –3  8 –5   No. 18 South Dakota ^  5 –3  7 –5   No. 4 South Dakota State ^  5 –3  11 –4   No. 23 Northern Iowa ^  4 –4  6 –6   Indiana State  3 –5  5 –6   North Dakota  3 –5  5 –6   Western Illinois  2 –6  2 –9   Illinois State  2 –6  4 –7   Youngstown State  2 –6  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll |
| 2021 Northeast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Sacred Heart $^  6 –1  8 –4   Duquesne  5 –2  7 –3   Bryant  5 –2  7 –4   Central Connecticut  4 –3  4 –7   Saint Francis (PA)  4 –3  5 –6   Merrimack *  2 –5  5 –6   LIU  2 –5  2 –8   Wagner  0 –7  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantNote: Merrimack ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II | 2021 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 13 UT Martin $^  5 –1  10 –3   Southeast Missouri State  4 –2  4 –7   Austin Peay  4 –2  6 –5   Tennessee State  3 –3  5 –6   Murray State  3 –3  6 –5   Eastern Illinois  1 –5  1 –10   Tennessee Tech  1 –5  3 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2021 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 19 Holy Cross $^  6 –0  10 –3   Colgate  5 –1  5 –6   Fordham  4 –2  6 –5   Lehigh  3 –3  3 –8   Lafayette  2 –4  3 –8   Georgetown  1 –5  2 –8   Bucknell  0 –6  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll |
| 2021 Pioneer Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Davidson +^  7 –1  8 –3   San Diego +  7 –1  7 –4   St. Thomas (MN)*  6 –2  7 –3   Morehead State  6 –2  7 –4   Marist  5 –3  5 –5   Dayton  5 –3  6 –4   Valparaiso  4 –4  4 –7   Stetson  2 –6  4 –7   Drake  1 –7  2 –9   Butler  1 –7  3 –8   Presbyterian  0 –8  2 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participant * – St. Thomas (MN) ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division III | 2021 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 9 East Tennessee State $^  7 –1  11 –2   Mercer  6 –2  7 –3   Chattanooga  5 –3  6 –5   Western Carolina  4 –4  4 –7   Furman  4 –4  6 –5   VMI  4 –4  6 –5   Samford  3 –5  4 –7   The Citadel  3 –5  4 –7   Wofford  0 –8  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2021 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 12 Incarnate Word $^  7 –1  10 –3   No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana ^  6 –2  9 –4   Nicholls  5 –3  6 –5   McNeese State *  3 –5  4 –7   Northwestern State  3 –5  3 –8   Houston Baptist  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions Rankings from STATS Poll |
| 2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division No. 22 Jackson State x$  8 –0  11 –2   No. 25 Florida A&M ^  7 –1  9 –3   Alabama A&M  5 –3  7 –3   Mississippi Valley State  3 –5  4 –7   Alabama State  3 –5  5 –6   Bethune–Cookman  2 –6  2 –9   West Division Prairie View A&M x  6 –2  7 –5   Alcorn State  5 –3  6 –5   Grambling State  3 –5  4 –7   Southern  3 –5  4 –7   Texas Southern  2 –6  2 –8   Arkansas–Pine Bluff  1 –7  2 –9   Championship: Jackson State 27, Prairie View A&M 10 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2021 WAC–ASUN Challenge football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 Sam Houston $^  6 –0  11 –1   No. 21 Stephen F. Austin ^  4 –2  8 –4   Eastern Kentucky  4 –2  7 –4   Central Arkansas  3 –3  5 –6   Jacksonville State  3 –3  5 –6   Abilene Christian  1 –5  5 –6   Lamar  0 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from STATS Poll | 2021 Western Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 Sam Houston $^  5 –0  11 –1   No. 21 Stephen F. Austin ^  4 –1  8 –4   Abilene Christian  2 –2  5 –6   Tarleton State *  2 –3  6 –5   Dixie State *  0 –3  1 –10   Lamar  0 –4  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from Division II Rankings from STATS Poll |

## Playoff qualifiers
### Automatic berths for conference champions

| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result of last appearance |
| Big Sky Conference | Sacramento State | 2nd | 2019 | Second Round (L – Austin Peay) |
| Big South Conference | Kennesaw State | 4th | 2019 | Second Round (L – Weber State) |
| Colonial Athletic Association | Villanova | 14th | 2019 | First Round (L – Southeastern Louisiana) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | North Dakota State | 12th | 2020 | Quarterfinals (L – Sam Houston State) |
| Northeast Conference | Sacred Heart | 4th | 2020 | First Round (L – Delaware) |
| Ohio Valley Conference | UT Martin | 2nd | 2006 | Second Round (L – Southern Illinois) |
| Patriot League | Holy Cross | 4th | 2020 | First Round (L – South Dakota State) |
| Pioneer Football League | Davidson | 2nd | 2020 | First Round (L – Jacksonville State) |
| Southern Conference | East Tennessee State | 3rd | 2018 | First Round (L – Jacksonville State) |
| Southland Conference | Incarnate Word | 2nd | 2018 | First Round (L – Montana State) |
| Western Athletic Conference | Sam Houston State | 13th | 2020 | National Champions (W – South Dakota State) |

### At large qualifiers

| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result of last appearance |
| Big Sky Conference | Eastern Washington | 15th | 2020 | First Round (L – North Dakota State) |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana | 25th | 2019 | Quarterfinals (L – Weber State) |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana State | 11th | 2019 | Semifinals (L – North Dakota State) |
| Big Sky Conference | UC Davis | 2nd | 2018 | Quarterfinals (L – Eastern Washington) |
| Colonial Athletic Association | James Madison | 18th | 2020 | Semifinals (L – Sam Houston State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Missouri State | 3rd | 2020 | First Round (L – North Dakota) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Northern Iowa | 23rd | 2019 | Quarterfinals (L – James Madison) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | South Dakota | 2nd | 2017 | Second Round (L – Sam Houston State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | South Dakota State | 11th | 2020 | Championship Game (L – Sam Houston State) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Southern Illinois | 10th | 2020 | Quarterfinals (L – South Dakota State) |
| Southland Conference | Southeastern Louisiana | 4th | 2019 | Second Round (L – Montana) |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | Florida A&M | 8th | 2001 | First Round (L – Georgia Southern) |
| Western Athletic Conference | Stephen F. Austin | 8th | 2014 | First Round (L – Northern Iowa) |

### Abstentions

* Ivy League – Dartmouth
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State

## Postseason

After the prior season's playoffs were reduced to a 16-team bracket, FCS returned to a 24-team bracket for this season: 11 of the teams were decided via automatic bids issued to conference champions (listed above) and 13 teams were determined via at-large bids; the top eight teams were seeded.

### Bowl game

| Date | Game | Site | Television | Participants | Affiliations | Results | References |
| Dec. 18 | Celebration Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia 12:00 pm | ABC | South Carolina State Bulldogs (6–5) Jackson State Tigers (11–1) | MEAC SWAC | South Carolina State 31 Jackson State 10 | |

### NCAA Division I playoff bracket

| First Round November 27 Campus sites | First Round November 27 Campus sites | First Round November 27 Campus sites | Second Round December 3/4 Campus sites | Second Round December 3/4 Campus sites | Second Round December 3/4 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 10/11 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 10/11 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 10/11 Campus sites | Semifinals December 17/18 Campus sites | Semifinals December 17/18 Campus sites | Semifinals December 17/18 Campus sites | National Championship January 8 12:00 pm EST Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas | National Championship January 8 12:00 pm EST Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas | National Championship January 8 12:00 pm EST Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas |
| | | | 1 | Sam Houston State | 49 | | | | | | | | | |
| Stephen F. Austin | Stephen F. Austin | 28 | | Incarnate Word | 42 | | | | | | | | | |
| Incarnate Word | Incarnate Word | 35 | | | | 1 | Sam Houston State | 19 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 8 | Montana State | 42 | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Montana State | 26 | | | | | | | | | |
| UT Martin | UT Martin | 32 | | UT Martin | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| Missouri State | Missouri State | 31 | | | | | | | 8 | Montana State | 31 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | South Dakota State | 17 | | | |
| | | | 5 | Villanova | 21 | | | | | | | | | |
| Sacred Heart | Sacred Heart | 10 | | Holy Cross | 16 | | | | | | | | | |
| Holy Cross | Holy Cross | 13 | | | | 5 | Villanova | 21 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | South Dakota State | 35 | | | | | | |
| | | | 4 | Sacramento State | 19 | | | | | | | | | |
| UC Davis | UC Davis | 24 | | South Dakota State | 24 | | | | | | | | | |
| South Dakota State | South Dakota State | 56 | | | | | | | | | | 8 | Montana State | 10 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 38 |
| | | | 3 | James Madison | 59 | | | | | | | | | |
| Florida A&M | Florida A&M | 14 | | Southeastern Louisiana | 20 | | | | | | | | | |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Southeastern Louisiana | 38 | | | | 3 | James Madison | 28 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 6 | Montana | 6 | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Montana | 57 | | | | | | | | | |
| Northern Iowa | Northern Iowa | 9 | | Eastern Washington | 41 | | | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Washington | Eastern Washington | 19 | | | | | | | 3 | James Madison | 14 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 20 | | | |
| | | | 7 | East Tennessee State | 32 | | | | | | | | | |
| Davidson | Davidson | 21 | | Kennesaw State | 31 | | | | | | | | | |
| Kennesaw State | Kennesaw State | 48 | | | | 7 | East Tennessee State | 3 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 27 | | | | | | |
| | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 38 | | | | | | | | | |
| Southern Illinois | Southern Illinois | 22 | | Southern Illinois | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| South Dakota | South Dakota | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Source:

## Rankings

The top 25 from the Stats Perform and USA Today Coaches Polls.

### Pre-season polls

Stats Perform :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Sam Houston State (39) |
| 2 | James Madison (8) |
| 3 | South Dakota State (4) |
| 4 | North Dakota State |
| 5 | Delaware |
| 6 | Weber State |
| 7 | Southern Illinois |
| 8 | North Dakota |
| 9 | Montana |
| 10 | Jacksonville State |
| 11 | Eastern Washington |
| 12 | Montana State |
| 13 | Monmouth |
| 14 | Central Arkansas |
| 15 | Southeastern Louisiana |
| 16 | Villanova |
| 17 | VMI |
| 18 | Chattanooga |
| 19 | Kennesaw State |
| 20 | Austin Peay |
| 21 | Northern Iowa |
| 22 | Nicholls |
| 23 | UC Davis |
| 24 | Missouri State |
| 25 | North Carolina A&T |
USA Today Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Sam Houston State (18) |
| 2 | James Madison (9) |
| 3 | North Dakota State |
| 4 | South Dakota State (1) |
| 5 | Delaware |
| 6 | Weber State |
| 7 | North Dakota |
| 8 | Jacksonville State |
| 9 | Montana |
| 10 | Southern Illinois |
| 11 | Montana State |
| 12 | Monmouth |
| 13 | Central Arkansas |
| 14 | Eastern Washington |
| 15 | Villanova |
| 16 | Northern Iowa |
| 17 | Southeastern Louisiana |
| 18 | Chattanooga |
| 19 | VMI |
| 20 | Kennesaw State |
| 21 | UC Davis |
| 22 | Richmond |
| 23 | Nicholls |
| 24 | North Carolina A&T |
| 25 | Austin Peay |

### Final rankings

| Rank | Stats Perform | Coaches' Poll |
| 1 | North Dakota State (14–1) (50) | North Dakota State (14–1) (24) |
| 2 | Montana State (12–3) | Montana State (12–3) |
| 3 | James Madison (12–2) | James Madison (12–2) |
| 4 | South Dakota State (11–4) | Sam Houston State (11–1) |
| 5 | Sam Houston State (11–1) | South Dakota State (11–4) |
| 6 | Montana (10–3) | Montana (10–3) |
| 7 | Eastern Washington (10–3) | East Tennessee State (11–2) |
| 8 | Villanova (10–3) | Villanova (10–3) |
| 9 | East Tennessee State (11–2) | Eastern Washington (10–3) |
| 10 | Sacramento State (9–3) | Kennesaw State (11–2) |
| 11 | Kennesaw State (11–2) | Sacramento State (9–3) |
| 12 | Incarnate Word (10–3) | UT Martin (10–3) |
| 13 | UT Martin (10–3) | Incarnate Word (10–3) |
| 14 | Missouri State (8–4) | Missouri State (8–4) |
| 15 | Southeastern Louisiana (9–4) | Southeastern Louisiana (9–4) |
| 16 | Southern Illinois (8–5) | UC Davis (8–4) |
| 17 | UC Davis (8–4) | Southern Illinois (8–5) |
| 18 | South Dakota (7–5) | Stephen F. Austin (8–4) |
| 19 | Holy Cross (10–3) | Jackson State (11–2) |
| 20 | Dartmouth (9–1) | South Dakota (7–5) |
| 21 | Stephen F. Austin (8–4) | Princeton (9–1) |
| 22 | Jackson State (11–2) | Holy Cross (10–3) |
| 23 | Northern Iowa (6–6) | Dartmouth (9–1) |
| 24 | Princeton (9–1) | Florida A&M (9–3) |
| 25 | Florida A&M (9–3) | Northern Iowa (6–6) |

## Kickoff games

The regular season began with three games on Saturday, August 28:
* Indiana State 26, Eastern Illinois 21
* MEAC/SWAC Challenge at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta: North Carolina Central 23, Alcorn State 14
* San Jose State (FBS) 45, Southern Utah 14

## Regular season top 10 matchups

Rankings reflect the Stats Perform Poll.
* Week 3
** No. 3 James Madison defeated No. 9 Weber State, 37–24 (Stewart Stadium, Ogden, Utah)
* Week 5
** No. 6 Eastern Washington defeated No. 4 Montana, 30–24 (Roos Field, Cheney, Washington)
** No. 5 North Dakota State defeated No. 10 North Dakota, 16–10 (Alerus Center, Grand Forks, North Dakota)
* Week 6
** No. 8 Southern Illinois defeated No. 2 South Dakota State, 42–41 $^{OT}$ (Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, South Dakota)
* Week 10
** No. 4 Montana State defeated No. 5 Eastern Washington, 23–20 (Roos Field, Cheney, Washington)
** No. 9 South Dakota State defeated No. 2 North Dakota State, 27–19 (Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, South Dakota)
* Week 11
** No. 7 Eastern Washington defeated No. 6 UC Davis, 38–20 (UC Davis Health Stadium, Davis, California)
* Week 12
** No. 6 Montana defeated No. 3 Montana State, 29–10 (Washington–Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, Montana)

## Upsets

This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating ranked teams during the season.

### Regular season

During the regular season, 33 unranked teams have defeated a ranked team.
* September 4, 2021:
** Furman 29, No. 25 North Carolina A&T 18
* September 11, 2021:
** Merrimack 35, No. 24 Holy Cross 21
* September 25, 2021
** Holy Cross 45, No. 20 Monmouth 15
** Eastern Kentucky 35, No. 19 Austin Peay 27
** UT Martin 34, No. 9 Jacksonville State 31
* October 2, 2021
** Elon 20, No. 22 Richmond 7
** The Citadel 35, No. 18 VMI 24
* October 9, 2021
** Idaho State 27, No. 7 UC Davis 17
** South Dakota 20, No. 13 North Dakota 13
** Youngstown State 41, No. 16 Missouri State 33
* October 16, 2021
** Dartmouth 38, No. 23 New Hampshire 21
** Chattanooga 21, No. 10 East Tennessee State 16
** Sacramento State 28, No. 5 Montana 27
** Stony Brook 34, No. 14 Delaware 17
** Towson 28, No. 12 Rhode Island 7
* October 22, 2021
** Columbia 19, No. 25 Dartmouth 0
* October 23, 2021
** Weber State 35, No. 2 Eastern Washington 34
** Illinois State 20, No. 15 South Dakota 14
** McNeese State 28, No. 16 Incarnate Word 20
* October 30, 2021
** William & Mary 31, No. 4 Villanova 18
** Maine 45, No. 24 Rhode Island 24
* November 5, 2021
** Dartmouth 31, No. 20т Princeton 7
* November 6, 2021
** Portland State 30, No. 24 Weber State 18
** Delaware 24, No. 20т William & Mary 3
** Illinois State 17, No. 13 Northern Iowa 10 $^{OT}$
** Stephen F. Austin 31, No. 25 Eastern Kentucky 17
* November 13, 2021
** Alcorn State 31, No. 24 Prairie View A&M 29
** Furman 37, No. 21 VMI 31
** Mercer 10, No. 22т Chattanooga 6
* November 20, 2021
** Southeast Missouri State 31, No. 13 UT Martin 14
** Nicholls 45, No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana 42
** Youngstown State 35, No. 17 Southern Illinois 18
** Elon 43, No. 25 Rhode Island 28

## Coaching changes
### Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2021. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2021, see 2020 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.
| Team | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| Stetson | Roger Hughes | May 7, 2021 | Resigned | Brian Young |
| Colgate | Dan Hunt | May 17, 2021 | Resigned | Stan Dakosty |
| LIU | Bryan Collins | June 29, 2021 | Resigned | Jonathan Gill (interim) |
| Alabama State | Donald Hill-Eley | November 1, 2021 | Fired | Travis Pearson (interim) |
| Jacksonville State | John Grass | November 6, 2021 | Resigned | Maxwell Thurmond (interim) |
| Grambling State | Broderick Fobbs | November 15, 2021 | Fired | Terrence Graves (interim) |

### End of season

| Team | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| Western Illinois | Jared Elliott | November 10, 2021 | Parted ways at end of season | Myers Hendrickson |
| Southern Utah | Demario Warren | November 15, 2021 | Mutually parted ways | DeLane Fitzgerald |
| Idaho | Paul Petrino | November 19, 2021 | Will not return in 2022 | Jason Eck |
| Abilene Christian | Adam Dorrel | November 21, 2021 | Fired | Keith Patterson |
| Idaho State | Rob Phenicie | November 21, 2021 | Fired | Charlie Ragle |
| Lafayette | John Garrett | November 22, 2021 | Fired | John Troxell |
| Alabama State | Travis Pearson (interim) | November 26, 2021 | Permanent replacement | Eddie Robinson |
| Maine | Nick Charlton | November 28, 2021 | Became OC at UConn | Jordan Stevens |
| Delaware | Danny Rocco | November 29, 2021 | Fired | Ryan Carty |
| Jacksonville State | Maxwell Thurmond (interim) | November 29, 2021 | Permanent replacement | Rich Rodriguez |
| Butler | Jeff Voris | November 30, 2021 | Resigned | Mike Uremovich |
| New Hampshire | Sean McDonnell | December 1, 2021 | Retired | Ricky Santos |
| Presbyterian | Kevin Kelley | December 4, 2021 | Resigned | Steve Englehart |
| Incarnate Word | Eric Morris | December 5, 2021 | Became OC at Washington State | G. J. Kinne |
| McNeese State | Frank Wilson | December 7, 2021 | Became associate head coach at LSU | Gary Goff |
| Southern | Jason Rollins (interim) | December 7, 2021 | Permanent replacement | Eric Dooley |
| Prairie View A&M | Eric Dooley | December 7, 2021 | Hired by Southern | Bubba McDowell |
| Grambling State | Terrence Graves (interim) | December 10, 2021 | Permanent replacement | Hue Jackson |
| East Tennessee State | Randy Sanders | December 13, 2021 | Retired | George Quarles |
| LIU | Jonathan Gill (interim) | January 3, 2022 | Permanent replacement | Ron Cooper |
| Eastern Illinois | Adam Cushing | January 11, 2022 | Became OL coach at Duke | Chris Wilkerson |
| Morgan State | Tyrone Wheatley | February 12, 2022 | Became RB coach for Denver Broncos | Damon Wilson |