# 2021 NAIA football season

The 2021 NAIA football season is the component of the 2021 college football season organized by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in the United States. The regular season began on August 28 and culminated on November 13. The season's playoffs, known as the NAIA Football National Championship, began on November 20 and culminated with the championship game on December 18 at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The Morningside Mustangs defeated the Grand View Vikings in the title game, winning the program's third NAIA title in four seasons under head coach Steve Ryan.

## Conference changes and new programs
### Membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Allen Yellow Jackets | Appalachian | NCAA D-II Independent |
| Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes | Independent (NJCAA) | Independent |
| Edward Waters Tigers | NAIA Independent | SIAC (NCAA D-II) |
| Iowa Wesleyan Tigers | St. Louis (NCAA D-III) | North Star |
| Judson University Eagles | New program | MSFA Midwest |
| Louisiana Christian Wildcats | Am. Southwest (NCAA D-III) | Sooner |
| Mount Marty Lancers | New program | GPAC |

## Conference standings

2021 Frontier Conference football standings :
| 2021 Frontier Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 25 College of Idaho +  7 –3  7 –3   No. 21 Rocky Mountain +  7 –3  7 –3   No. 19 Montana Western +^  7 –3  8 –4   Carroll (MT)  6 –4  6 –4   Montana Tech  5 –5  5 –5   Eastern Oregon  4 –6  4 –6   Southern Oregon  3 –7  3 –7   Montana State–Northern  1 –9  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2021 Great Plains Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Morningside $^  10 –0  14 –0   No. 4 Northwestern (IA) ^  9 –1  12 –2   Concordia (NE)  7 –3  7 –3   No. 23 Dordt  7 –3  7 –3   Midland  6 –4  6 –5   Doane  5 –5  5 –5   Dakota Wesleyan  4 –6  4 –7   Briar Cliff  3 –7  3 –8   Hastings  2 –8  2 –8   Jamestown  2 –8  2 –9   Mount Marty  0 –10  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2021 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  North No. 3 Grand View x^  5 –0  14 –1   No. 22 Culver–Stockton  4 –1  8 –3   Peru State  3 –2  7 –4   William Penn  2 –3  3 –8   Clarke  1 –4  1 –10   Graceland  0 –5  0 –11   South No. 16 Central Methodist x^  5 –0  9 –3   No. 13 Baker  4 –1  9 –2   Benedictine (KS)  3 –2  7 –4   Evangel  2 –3  5 –6   MidAmerica Nazarene  1 –4  3 –8   Missouri Valley  0 –5  3 –8   x – Division champion/co-champions^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll |
| 2021 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Kansas Wesleyan +^  9 –1  11 –2   No. 17 Bethel (KS) +  9 –1  9 –2   No. 9 Southwestern (KS) +^  9 –1  9 –2   Avila  7 –3  7 –3   McPherson  6 –4  6 –4   Sterling  5 –5  6 –6   Ottawa (KS)  4 –6  5 –6   Saint Mary (KS)  3 –7  3 –7   Tabor  2 –8  3 –8   Friends  1 –9  1 –9   Bethany (KS)  0 –10  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2021 Mid-South Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Appalachian Division No. 6 Reinhardt x^  6 –0  9 –3   No. 24 Faulkner  5 –1  8 –2   Bluefield  4 –2  6 –5   Kentucky Christian  2 –4  3 –8   Point  2 –4  2 –8   St. Andrews  2 –4  2 –9   Union (KY)  0 –6  1 –9   Bluegrass Division No. 1 Lindsey Wilson x^  7 –0  12 –1   No. 15 Georgetown (KY)  5 –2  8 –2   Bethel (TN)  4 –3  7 –4   Thomas More  4 –3  5 –5   Cumberlands (KY)  3 –4  6 –4   Pikeville  2 –5  4 –6   Cumberland (TN)  2 –5  3 –7   Campbellsville  1 –6  1 –8   Sun Division No. 11 Keiser x^  5 –1  9 –3   Southeastern x  5 –1  8 –3   St. Thomas (FL)  4 –2  9 –2   Ave Maria  4 –2  5 –6   Warner  1 –5  3 –8   Webber International  1 –5  2 –8   Florida Memorial  1 –5  2 –9   x – Division champion/co-champions^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2021 Mid-States Football Association standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Mideast League No. 8 Concordia (MI) x^  6 –1  9 –2   No. 7 Marian (IN) x^  6 –1  9 –3   Siena Heights  5 –2  6 –4   No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan x^  4 –3  7 –4   Lawrence Tech  3 –4  7 –4   Saint Francis (IN)  2 –5  3 –6   Taylor  2 –5  3 –7   Madonna  0 –7  1 –9   Midwest League No. 12 Saint Xavier x^  6 –1  8 –3   St. Francis (IL) x  6 –1  6 –3   Olivet Nazarene  5 –2  7 –3   Roosevelt  3 –4  4 –6   Judson  3 –4  4 –7   St. Ambrose  3 –4  4 –7   Missouri Baptist  1 –6  4 –7   Trinity International  1 –6  3 –8   x – League champion/co-champions ^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll |
| 2021 North Star Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 17 Dickinson State $^  8 –0  8 –3   Valley City State  6 –2  8 –2   Waldorf  5 –3  7 –3   Dakota State  5 –3  6 –4   Mayville State  2 –6  2 –9   Iowa Wesleyan  1 –6  2 –9   Presentation  0 –8  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2021 Sooner Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 14 Ottawa (AZ) $^  8 –1  8 –2   No. 20 Arizona Christian  7 –2  8 –2   Texas Wesleyan  7 –2  7 –3   SAGU  6 –3  9 –3   Langston  6 –3  7 –3   Louisiana Christian  4 –5  4 –7   OK Panhandle State  3 –6  4 –7   Lyon  2 –7  2 –8   Wayland Baptist  2 –7  2 –8   Texas College  0 –9  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2021 NAIA independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Arkansas Baptist   –  0 –7 |

## Postseason
### Bracket

| 1st Round November 20 | 1st Round November 20 | 1st Round November 20 | Quarterfinals November 27 | Quarterfinals November 27 | Quarterfinals November 27 | Semifinals December 4 | Semifinals December 4 | Semifinals December 4 | | Championship December 18 | Championship December 18 | Championship December 18 |
| 1 | Lindsey Wilson | 48 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Montana Western | 21 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Montana Western | 21 | 1 | Lindsey Wilson | 54 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 12 | Keiser | 12 | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Reinhardt | 13 | 12 | Keiser | 12 | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Keiser | 16 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Keiser | 16 | | | | 1 | Lindsey Wilson | 28 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Grand View | 34 | | | | |
| 3 | Grand View | 38 | | | | | | | 3 | Grand View | 34 | | | | |
| 14 | Dickinson State | 13 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Dickinson State | 13 | 3 | Grand View | 31 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Concordia (MI) | 16 | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Concordia (MI) | 47 | 8 | Concordia (MI) | 16 | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Saint Xavier | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Saint Xavier | 3 | | | | | | | | 3 | Grand View | 28 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Morningside | 38 |
| 2 | Morningside | 63 | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Morningside | 38 |
| 15 | Ottawa (AZ) | 38 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 15 | Ottawa (AZ) | 38 | 2 | Morningside | 58 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 10 | Kansas Wesleyan | 21 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Indiana Wesleyan | | 10 | Kansas Wesleyan | 21 | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Kansas Wesleyan | forfeit | | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | Kansas Wesleyan | forfeit | | | | 2 | Morningside | 28 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Northwestern (IA) | 19 | | | | |
| 4 | Northwestern (IA) | 24 | | | | | | | 4 | Northwestern (IA) | 19 | | | | |
| 13 | Central Methodist | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Central Methodist | 7 | 4 | Northwestern (IA) | 25 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Marian (IN) | 20 | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Marian (IN) | 21 | 7 | Marian (IN) | 20 | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Southwestern (KS) | 17 | | | | | | | | | | |