1921 college football season

{{Short description|American college football season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{Infobox college football season

| year = 1921

| image = BoMcMillin.jpg

| image_caption = Bo McMillin scoring against Harvard

| image_size = 250

| number_of_teams =

| preseason_ap =

| regular_season =

| number_of_bowls = 3

| bowl_start = December 26, 1921

| bowl_end = January 2, 1922

| champion = California
Cornell
Iowa
Lafayette
Washington & Jefferson

| heisman = Not awarded until 1935

}}

The 1921 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing California Golden Bears, Cornell Big Red, Iowa Hawkeyes, Lafayette Leopards, Washington & Jefferson Presidents, and Vanderbilt Commodores as champions.{{cite book | url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/aub/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_non_event/20140421_ncaa_champions.pdf | title=Official 2013 Football Bowl Subdivision Records Book | pages=76–77 | publisher=The National Collegiate Athletic Association | access-date=August 1, 2014 | archive-date=October 23, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023035512/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/aub/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_non_event/20140421_ncaa_champions.pdf | url-status=dead }} Only California, Cornell, Iowa, and Lafayette claim national championships for the 1921 season.

Andy Smith's Pacific Coast Conference champion "Wonder Team" at California continued on its streak since 1920. Eastern power Cornell was coached by Gil Dobie and led by one of the sport's great backfields with George Pfann, Eddie Kaw, Floyd Ramsey, and Charles E. Cassidy. Jock Sutherland's Lafayette Maroons were led on the line by Frank Schwab.

Big Ten champion Iowa upset Notre Dame 10–7. Grantland Rice noted that the 1921 Notre Dame team "was the first team we know of to build its attack around a forward passing game, rather than use a forward passing game as a mere aid to the running game."{{cite news|title=Where The West Got The Jump: In Addition To Developing Strong Defense and Good Running Game, Has Built Up Forward Pass|author=Grantland Rice|publisher=American Golfer|date=December 3, 1921|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/AmericanGolfer/1921/ag2424o.pdf|access-date=April 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062111/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/AmericanGolfer/1921/ag2424o.pdf|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}

1921 was the last season for the old Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Vanderbilt tied co-champion Georgia on an onside kick. On October 29, Centre upset Harvard 6–0 in what is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in college football history. Overjoyed students painted the "impossible formula" C6H0 (Centre 6, Harvard 0) on everything in sight. Georgia Tech also claimed a conference title.

The 1922 Rose Bowl was fought to a scoreless tie, between California and Washington & Jefferson, in the last Rose Bowl to be played at Tournament Park. Washington & Jefferson is the smallest school to ever play in a Rose Bowl.