2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season
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| 2021 NCAA Division I FBS season | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 130 |
| Duration | August 28 – December 11, 2021 |
| Preseason AP No. 1 | Alabama |
| Post-season | |
| Duration | December 18, 2021 – January 10, 2022 |
| Bowl games | 43 scheduled |
| College Football Playoff | |
| 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship | |
| Site | Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, Indiana |
| NCAA Division I FBS football seasons | |
← 2020 | |
The 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season is the ongoing 152nd season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at its highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision. It began on August 28, 2021,[1] and is scheduled to end on December 11. The postseason will begin on December 18, and, aside from any all-star games that are scheduled, end on January 10, 2022, with the College Football Playoff National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. This will be the eighth season of the College Football Playoff (CFP) system.[2]
Rule changes[edit]
The following rule changes, recommended by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2021 season on March 12 of that year, were approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel on April 22.[3][4]
- In overtime, teams scoring a touchdown will be required to attempt a two-point conversion starting with the second overtime period (previously the third overtime period). If the scores are still tied at the expiration of the second overtime, teams will be required to attempt alternating two point conversions starting with the third overtime (previously the fifth overtime period). Teams can still choose to go for the PAT kick or two-point conversion during the first overtime period. The first game using this procedure was on September 18 between Utah and San Diego State, won by SDSU 33–31 in three overtimes. On October 23, the all-time FBS record for most overtimes in a single game was broken when Illinois defeated host Penn State 20–18 in nine overtimes.
- Permanently extending the team area from between the 25-yard lines to between the 20-yard lines. A rule implemented for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic had extended this area to between the 15-yard lines, but it had been scheduled to revert to the 25 for 2021.
- Provide a framework to allow a school or conference to request a postgame video review about questionable actions (i.e. feigning injuries to stop the clock and slow down teams' momentum) through the NCAA secretary-rules editor/national coordinator of officials.
- Explicitly prohibiting video board and lighting system operators from creating "any distraction that obstructs play", with violations being deemed unsportsmanlike conduct.
- If replay overturns a call on the field, the game clock will only be adjusted inside of the last 2:00 of the first half and the last 5:00 of the second half.
"Points of Emphasis" for the 2021 season include:
- Any taunting action toward an opponent will be penalized.
- Automatic unsportsmanlike conduct penalties will be imposed on a coach who leaves the team area or goes onto the field of play to argue with the officials.
- Officials are to be more alert to players significantly in violation of uniform rules (specifically pants, jerseys, and T-shirts that extend below the torso), and to send violators out of the game to correct the issue.
Other headlines[edit]
- On April 15, 2021, the NCAA Division I Council adopted legislation that extended the so-called "one-time transfer exception" to all D-I sports, with the Division I Board of Directors ratifying this on April 28. This allows student-athletes in baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, and men's ice hockey to transfer one time without having to sit out a year, placing them under the same transfer regulations that previously applied to all other D-I sports.[5][6]
- On June 10, the College Football Playoff announced that it had begun work on a proposal to expand the playoff to 12 teams in the indefinite future. Under the proposed format:[7]
- The six conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee would receive automatic berths. The field would be filled out by the committee's six highest-ranked remaining teams, with no restrictions on conference affiliation.
- The four highest-ranked conference champions would receive first-round byes.
- The remaining 8 teams would play first-round games hosted by the higher seeds.
- The quarterfinals and semifinals would be hosted by existing bowl games, with the final continuing to be held at a separately determined neutral site.
- On June 21, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston that the NCAA had no authority to limit education-related non-cash compensation for athletes, but stopped short of addressing direct cash payments to college athletes.
- On July 21, the Houston Chronicle reported that Oklahoma and Texas had approached the Southeastern Conference about the possibility of joining that league, and that an announcement could come in early August. The SEC and both schools refused comment on this report, but did not issue definitive denials.[8][9]
- On July 26, Oklahoma and Texas notified the Big 12 Conference that the two schools do not wish to extend its grant of television rights beyond the 2024-25 athletic year and intend to leave the conference.[10][11]
- On July 27, Oklahoma and Texas reached out to the SEC about acceptance into the conference in 2025.[12][13]
- July 28 – The Big 12 sent a cease-and-desist letter to ESPN, accusing the network of tortious interference by working with other conferences attempting to lure Big 12 members in a bid to ease Oklahoma's and Texas' exits for the SEC. The network denied the allegations.[14]
- July 29 – The presidents and chancellors of the 14 current SEC members voted unanimously to extend invitations to Oklahoma and Texas, effective in 2025.[15]
- July 30 – The boards of regents of both Oklahoma and Texas unanimously accepted the SEC's invitations.[16]
- August 16 – The Associated Press released its preseason rankings, with Alabama as the overwhelming choice for #1. Other ranking highlights:[17]
- Iowa State received its highest AP ranking in school history at #7.
- Coastal Carolina and Louisiana, respectively #22 and #23, became the first Sun Belt Conference teams to be ranked in the preseason.
- August 24 – The Pac-12 Conference, Big Ten Conference, and Atlantic Coast Conference announced an alliance designed to "stabilize the current environment" by collaborating on a number of issues, including scheduling for football, men's and women's basketball.[18]
- September 3 – Multiple media outlets reported that the Big 12 was on the verge of inviting four schools—American Athletic Conference members Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF, plus BYU, an FBS independent and otherwise a member of the non-football West Coast Conference. All four schools were reportedly preparing membership applications, and reports were that their future entrance could be approved as early as the next scheduled meeting of Big 12 presidents on September 10. The entry timeline was uncertain at the time of the report, but 2024 was seen as the likeliest date.[19][20]
- September 10 – BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF were officially announced as incoming Big 12 members no later than 2024–25.[21]
- October 18 – Yahoo Sports reported that The American, which had been rocked by the impending departure of three of its most prominent schools, was preparing to receive applications from six of the 14 members of Conference USA—Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA. Should all six schools join, The American would become a 14-team conference in all sports. (Navy is a football-only member, while Wichita State is a full member but does not sponsor football.)[22]
- October 19 – ESPN reported that all six C-USA members named in Yahoo Sports' report had submitted applications to The American, and that each would receive a formal letter by the end of that week (October 22) detailing the terms of expansion.[23]
- October 21 – The six aforementioned C-USA members were announced as incoming members of The American at a date to be determined.[24]
- October 22 – The Action Network reported that C-USA member Southern Miss had accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference in 2023, though no formal announcement had then been made. The report added that the Sun Belt was preparing to add two other C-USA members, Marshall and Old Dominion, as well as FCS program James Madison. At the time, formal announcements of new members were expected on October 25, but an announcement regarding Marshall was likely to wait until after the school announced its new president on October 28.[25]
- October 26 – Southern Miss was officially announced as a Sun Belt member, effective no later than July 2023.[26] In other Sun Belt realignment news, it was reported that Old Dominion's arrival would be announced later that week, and that James Madison's board had scheduled an emergency meeting on October 29 (presumably to discuss a Sun Belt invitation).[27]
- October 27 – Old Dominion was officially announced as a Sun Belt member, also effective no later than July 2023. This marked ODU's return to that conference after an absence of more that 30 years.[28]
- October 30 – The day after both the Sun Belt Conference and Marshall issued tweets indicating that the Thundering Herd had accepted a Sun Belt invitation,[29] this move was officially announced.[30]
- November 5 – Multiple media outlets reported that Conference USA, which had nine of their schools depart to other separate conferences, handed out invitations to four schools- FBS independents Liberty and New Mexico State as well as FCS programs Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State which were all accepted. [31]
- November 6 – James Madison made their move to the Sun Belt official, effective no later than July 2023.[32]
Conference realignment and new programs[edit]
Membership changes[edit]
| School | Former conference | New conference |
|---|---|---|
| UConn Huskies[a] | American Athletic Conference | Independent |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Atlantic Coast Conference (2020 only)[b] | Independent |
- ^ UConn became independent in 2020, but canceled its 2020 season.
- ^ Notre Dame became a temporary full member of the ACC in 2020 due to the move by most conferences to play conference-only schedules during the pandemic season.
Stadiums[edit]
- This is the first season for UAB at Protective Stadium, replacing its old stadium, Legion Field. The first game was a 36–12 UAB loss to Liberty on October 2.[33]
- With the closure of Aloha Stadium to future events and plans to build a new stadium on the site, Hawaiʻi will play through at least the 2023 season at the on-campus Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex, home to the university's track and field program. A project expanded the stadium to at least 10,000 in time for the 2021 season, and was completed in just over four months.[34][35] However, due to state COVID-19 health orders restricting gatherings, and taking into consideration the isolated nature of the state from the mainland in receiving aid to deal with the pandemic, all games are also being played behind closed doors until further notice. It is the only team in Division I FBS that is restricting attendance.[36]
Kickoff games[edit]
Rankings reflect the AP Poll entering each week.
"Week Zero"[edit]
The regular season began on Saturday, August 28 with five games in Week 0.
- Nebraska 22 at Illinois 30[a]
- UConn 0 at Fresno State 45
- Hawaii 10 at UCLA 44
- UTEP 30 at New Mexico State 3
- Southern Utah 14 at San Jose State 45
Week 1[edit]
The majority of FBS teams opened the season on Labor Day weekend. Eight neutral-site "kickoff" games were held.
- Wednesday, September 1
- Montgomery Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): Jacksonville State 0 vs. UAB 31
- Thursday, September 2
- Saturday, September 4
- Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta): No. 1 Alabama 44 vs. No. 14 Miami (FL) 13
- Duke's Mayo Classic (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte): No. 3 Clemson 3 vs. No. 5 Georgia 10
- Allstate Kickoff Classic (AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas): Kansas State 24 vs. Stanford 7
- Texas Kickoff (NRG Stadium, Houston): Houston 21 vs. Texas Tech 38
- Vegas Kickoff Classic (Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada): Arizona 16 vs. BYU 24
- Monday, September 6
- Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta): Louisville 24 vs. Ole Miss 43
Regular season top 10 matchups[edit]
Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 10 and beyond will list College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that failed to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.
- Week 1
- No. 5 Georgia defeated No. 3 Clemson, 10–3 (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Week 2
- No. 10 Iowa defeated No. 9 Iowa State, 27–17 (Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa)
- Week 5
- No. 2 Georgia defeated No. 8 Arkansas, 37–0 (Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia)
- No. 7 Cincinnati defeated No. 9 Notre Dame, 24–13 (Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana)
- Week 6
- No. 3 Iowa defeated No. 4 Penn State, 23–20 (Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa)
- Week 9
- No. 8 Michigan State defeated No. 6 Michigan, 37–33 (Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan)
- Week 12
- No. 7/7 Michigan State at No. 4/5 Ohio State (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio)
FCS team wins over FBS teams[edit]
Upsets[edit]
This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating AP Poll-ranked teams during the season.
Regular season[edit]
During the regular season, 43 unranked FBS teams, plus 1 FCS team, have defeated ranked FBS teams.
- September 3, 2021
- Virginia Tech 17, No. 10 North Carolina 10
- September 4, 2021:
- September 11, 2021:
- September 18, 2021:
- Fresno State 40, No. 13 UCLA 37
- West Virginia 27, No. 15 Virginia Tech 21
- Michigan State 38, No. 24 Miami (FL) 17
- September 25, 2021:
- NC State 27, No. 9 Clemson 21 2OT
- Baylor 31, No. 14 Iowa State 29
- Georgia Tech 45, No. 21 North Carolina 22
- Oklahoma State 31, No. 25 Kansas State 20
- October 2, 2021
- Stanford 31, No. 3 Oregon 24 OT
- Kentucky 20, No. 10 Florida 13
- Mississippi State 26, No. 15 Texas A&M 22
- Hawaii 27, No. 18 Fresno State 24
- Arizona State 42, No. 20 UCLA 23
- October 9, 2021:
- Texas A&M 41, No. 1 Alabama 38
- Boise State 26, No. 10 BYU 17
- October 16, 2021:
- October 20, 2021
- Appalachian State 30, No. 14 Coastal Carolina 27
- October 23, 2021
- Illinois 20, No. 7 Penn State 18 9OT
- Iowa State 24, No. 8 Oklahoma State 21
- Miami (FL) 31, No. 18 NC State 30
- Wisconsin 30, No. 25 Purdue 13
- October 30, 2021
- Wisconsin 27, No. 9 Iowa 7
- Mississippi State 31, No. 12 Kentucky 17
- Miami (FL) 38, No. 17 Pittsburgh 34
- Houston 44, No. 19 SMU 37
- Fresno State 30, No. 21 San Diego State 20
- West Virginia 38, No. 22 Iowa State 31
- November 6, 2021
- Purdue 40, No. 5 Michigan State 29
- North Carolina 58, No. 10 Wake Forest 55
- TCU 30, No. 14 Baylor 28
- Tennessee 45, No. 18 Kentucky 42
- Memphis 28, No. 23 SMU 25
- Boise State 40, No. 25 Fresno State 14
- November 13, 2021
- Mississippi State 43, No. 16 Auburn 34
- Georgia State 42, No. 22 Coastal Carolina 40
Bowl games[edit]
Rankings in this section are based on the final CFP rankings released on December 2021.
Conference standings[edit]
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Rankings[edit]
The top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls.
Pre-season polls[edit]
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CFB Playoff final rankings[edit]
On December 5, 2021, the College Football Playoff selection committee will announce its final team rankings for the year.
Conference summaries[edit]
| Conference | Championship game | Overall Player of the Year/MVP | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Coach of the Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date[37] | Matchup | |||||
| ACC | Dec. 4 | |||||
| American | Dec. 4 | Houston vs. TBD | N/A | |||
| Big Ten | Dec. 4 | N/A | ||||
| Big 12 | Dec. 4 | N/A | ||||
| C–USA | Dec. 3 | |||||
| MAC | Dec. 4 | Northern Illinois (West) vs. TBD | ||||
| MW | Dec. 4 | N/A | ||||
| Pac-12 | Dec. 3 | N/A | ||||
| SEC | Dec. 4 | Georgia (East) vs. TBD | N/A | |||
| Sun Belt | Dec. 4 | Louisiana (West) vs. TBD | ||||
Postseason[edit]
There are 41 team-competitive post-season bowl games, with two teams advancing to a 42nd – the CFP National Championship game. Normally, a team is required to have a .500 minimum winning percentage during the regular season to become bowl-eligible (six wins for an 11- or 12-game schedule, and seven wins for a 13-game schedule). If there are not enough winning teams to fulfill all open bowl slots, teams with losing records may be chosen to fill all 82 bowl slots. Additionally, on the rare occasion in which a conference champion does not meet eligibility requirements, they are usually still chosen for bowl games via tie-ins for their conference.
Bowl-eligible teams[edit]
- ACC (7): Boston College, Clemson, Louisville, NC State, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Wake Forest
- American (5): Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, SMU, UCF
- Big Ten (8): Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
- Big 12 (6): Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech
- C-USA (5): Marshall, UAB, UTEP, UTSA, Western Kentucky
- MAC (6): Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan
- Mountain West (6): Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State
- Pac-12 (5): Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah
- SEC (8): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M
- Sun Belt (3): Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana
- Independent (4): Army, BYU, Liberty, Notre Dame
Number of bowl berths available: 82
Number of bowl-eligible teams: 63
Bowl-eligible teams that were not invited[edit]
Bowl-ineligible teams[edit]
- ACC (2): Duke, Georgia Tech
- American (4): Navy, Temple, Tulane, USF
- Big Ten (3) : Indiana, Nebraska, Northwestern
- Big 12 (1): Kansas
- C-USA (4): FIU, Louisiana Tech, Rice, Southern Miss
- MAC (4): Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Ohio
- Mountain West (4): Colorado State, Hawaii, New Mexico, UNLV
- Pac-12 (3): Arizona, Colorado, Stanford
- SEC (1): Vanderbilt
- Sun Belt (3): Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Texas State
- Independent (3): New Mexico State, UConn, UMass
Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 32
College Football Playoff[edit]
| Semifinals | Championship | |||||||
| December 31 – Cotton Bowl ClassicAT&T Stadium, Arlington | ||||||||
| January 10 – National ChampionshipLucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis | ||||||||
| December 31 – Orange BowlHard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens | ||||||||
All-star games[edit]
Coaching changes[edit]
Preseason and in-season[edit]
This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2021, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled game but before its bowl game. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2021, see 2020 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Frank Solich | July 14, 2021 | Retired[38] | Tim Albin |
| UConn | Randy Edsall | September 6, 2021 | Resigned[39] | Lou Spanos (interim) |
| USC | Clay Helton | September 13, 2021 | Fired[40] | Donte Williams (interim) |
| Georgia Southern | Chad Lunsford | September 26, 2021 | Fired[41] | Kevin Whitley (interim) |
| Washington State | Nick Rolovich | October 18, 2021 | Fired[42] | Jake Dickert (interim) |
| Texas Tech | Matt Wells | October 25, 2021 | Fired[43] | Sonny Cumbie (interim) |
| TCU | Gary Patterson | October 31, 2021 | Parted ways[44] | Jerry Kill (interim) |
| Akron | Tom Arth | November 4, 2021 | Fired[45] | Oscar Rodriguez (interim) |
| UMass | Walt Bell | November 7, 2021 | Fired[46] | Alex Miller (interim) |
| Washington | Jimmy Lake | November 14, 2021 | Fired | Bob Gregory (Interim) |
| Virginia Tech | Justin Fuente | November 16, 2021 | Parted ways[47] | J. C. Price (Interim) |
End of season[edit]
This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSU | Ed Orgeron | October 17, 2021 | Separation agreement, will coach to end of season | |
| Georgia Southern | Kevin Whitley (Interim) | November 2, 2021 | Permanent Replacement | Clay Helton |
| Texas Tech | Sonny Cumbie (Interim) | November 8, 2021 | Permanent Replacement | Joey McGuire |
| FIU | Butch Davis | November 10, 2021 | Will not return after the 2021 season | |
| UConn | Lou Spanos (Interim) | November 11, 2021 | Permanent Replacement | Jim Mora |
Television viewers and ratings[edit]
Most watched regular season games[edit]
All times Eastern. Rankings are from the AP Poll (before 11/2) and CFP Rankings (thereafter).
| Rank | Date | Time | Matchup | Network | Viewers (millions) | TV ratings[48] | Significance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 30 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 6 Michigan | 33 | No. 8 Michigan State | 37 | FOX | 9.29 | 5.1 | College GameDay/Big Noon Kickoff/Rivalry |
| 2 | September 4 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 5 Georgia | 10 | No. 3 Clemson | 3 | ABC | 8.86 [49] | 4.6 | College GameDay/Rivalry |
| 3 | October 9 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 1 Alabama | 38 | Texas A&M | 41 | CBS | 8.33 | 4.5 | |
| 4 | September 18 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 1 Alabama | 31 | No. 11 Florida | 29 | CBS | 7.86 | 4.2 | Rivalry |
| 5 | September 5 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 9 Notre Dame | 41 | Florida State | 38 | ABC | 7.75[50] | 4.2 | |
| 6 | September 11 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 12 Oregon | 35 | No. 3 Ohio State | 28 | FOX | 7.73 | 4.3 | Big Noon Kickoff |
| 7 | September 18 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 22 Auburn | 20 | No. 10 Penn State | 28 | ABC | 7.61 | 4.1 | College GameDay |
| 8 | October 30 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 20 Penn State | 24 | No. 5 Ohio State | 33 | ABC | 7.05 | 3.7 | Rivalry |
| 9 | October 9 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 4 Penn State | 20 | No. 3 Iowa | 23 | FOX | 6.90 | 3.7 | Big Noon Kickoff |
| 10 | October 16 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 11 Kentucky | 13 | No. 1 Georgia | 30 | CBS | 6.37 | 3.7 | College GameDay |
Notes[edit]
- ^ Illinois and Nebraska were originally scheduled to play at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The game was moved back to the United States due to travel concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
See also[edit]
- 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season
- 2021 NCAA Division II football season
- 2021 NCAA Division III football season
- 2021 NAIA football season
References[edit]
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