2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the 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. The regular season began on August 28, 2021, and ended on December 11, 2021. The postseason began on December 17, with the main games ending on January 10, 2022, with the College Football Playoff National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and the all-star portion of the post-season concluding with the inaugural HBCU Legacy Bowl on February 19, 2022. It was the eighth season of the College Football Playoff (CFP) system. It was the first time since 2016 that no major team finished the season undefeated as the Cincinnati Bearcats, the season's last undefeated team, were defeated in the 2021 Cotton Bowl Classic.
Rule changes.
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.
Another rule change was made during the season:
"Points of Emphasis" for the 2021 season included:
Kickoff games.
Rankings reflect the AP Poll entering each week.
"Week Zero".
The regular season began on Saturday, August 28 with five games in Week 0.
Week 1.
The majority of FBS teams opened the season on Labor Day weekend. Eight neutral-site "kickoff" games were held.
Regular season top 10 matchups.
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.
Upsets.
This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating AP Poll-ranked teams during the season.
Regular season.
During the regular season, 48 unranked FBS teams, plus 1 FCS team, defeated ranked FBS teams. 
Bowl games.
Rankings in this section are based on the final CFP rankings released on December 5, 2021.
Rankings.
The top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls.
CFB Playoff final rankings.
On December 5, 2021, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced its final team rankings for the year.
Conference summaries.
Rankings in this section are based on CFP rankings released prior to the games.
Conference champions' bowl games.
Ranks are per the final CFP rankings, released on December 5, with win–loss records at that time.
CFP College Football Playoff participant
Postseason.
There are 42 team-competitive FBS post-season bowl games, with two teams advancing to a 43rd – 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 84 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.
Number of bowl berths available: 84Number of bowl-eligible teams: 84
Bowl-eligible team that did not receive a berth.
On December 2, NCAA announced the 42nd bowl game, thus guaranteeing all teams with six wins (83 bowl-eligible teams plus Hawaii with a 6–7 record) could play in a bowl game. The added bowl game, later named the 2021 Frisco Football Classic, essentially served as a replacement of the canceled San Francisco Bowl.
Bowl-ineligible teams.
Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 46 &lt;br&gt;
 Rutgers had the highest Academic Progress Rate (APR) of five-win teams. The NCAA announced on December 23 that Rutgers was the first eligible team, under APR regulations, to replace Texas A&amp;M in the Gator Bowl. Rutgers accepted the bid.
Awards and honors.
Heisman Trophy.
The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player.
Offense.
Quarterback
Running back
Wide receiver
Tight end
Lineman:
Defense.
Defensive front
Defensive back
Coaching changes.
Preseason and in-season.
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.
End of season.
This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.