# 2021 NCAA Division III football rankings

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.

## 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 | Week 1 September 6 | Week 2 September 12 | Week 3 September 19 | Week 4 September 26 | Week 5 October 3 | Week 6 October 10 | Week 7 October 17 | Week 8 October 24 | Week 9 October 31 | Week 10 November 7 | Week 11 November 14 | Week 12 (Final) December 18 | |
| 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 | Week 1 September 6 | Week 2 September 12 | Week 3 September 19 | Week 4 September 26 | Week 5 October 3 | Week 6 October 10 | Week 7 October 17 | Week 8 October 24 | Week 9 October 31 | Week 10 November 7 | Week 11 November 14 | Week 12 (Final) December 18 | |
| | | Dropped: Westminster (PA) Berry | Dropped: Wartburg Brockport Aurora | Dropped: Berry | Dropped: Randolph–Macon Chapman Heidelberg | None | Dropped: Whitworth Westminster (PA) Hobart | None | None | Dropped: John Carroll | Dropped: Washington & Jefferson Susquehanna | Dropped: Wisconsin–Oshkosh Baldwin Wallace Union (NY) DePauw | None | |