2020–21 NCAA Division II football season
{{Short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NCAA Division II season
| year = 2020
| image =
| image_caption =
| number_of_teams = 67
| regular_season = {{nowrap|September 26, 2020 – April 25, 2021}}
| playoffs = Not held
| championship =
| champion =
| hill = Not awarded
}}
The 2020–21 NCAA Division II football season was the component of the 2020 college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division II level in the United States. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only a few games were played during the traditional fall season.{{cite web|url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2020-11-21/2020-dii-football-schedule-dates-times-matchups |title=2020 DII football schedule: Dates, times, matchups |first=Zach |last=Pekale|website=NCAA.com |date=November 21, 2020 |accessdate=December 17, 2021}} For other teams that chose to play during the 2020–21 school year, the regular season began on February 27, 2021, and culminated on April 25.{{cite web |title=Historic Spring College Football Season Set to Begin |url=https://footballfoundation.org/news/2021/1/28/historic-spring-college-football-season-set-to-begin.aspx |website=National Football Foundation |access-date=December 17, 2021 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=More Than 300 College Football Teams Are Preparing For A Spring Season |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomlayberger/2021/02/10/more-than-300-college-football-teams-are-preparing-for-a-spring-season/?sh=48f61112527b |website=Forbes |access-date=December 17, 2021 |language=en}}
The season concluded with the end of the regular season, as the playoffs and championship game were not held due to the pandemic.
D-II team wins over FCS teams
- November 7, 2020: {{cfb link|year=2020|team=Angelo State Rams|title=Angelo State}} 34, Abilene Christian 21
- April 1, 2021: {{cfb link|year=2020|team=East Central Tigers|title=East Central}} 21, Tarleton State 14
Conference changes and new programs
=Membership changes=
{{notelist}}
Conference standings
Only four conferences (GLVC, G-MAC, Mountain East and SAC) and two independents (Barton and Erskine) decided to play the season. All of them played a spring schedule. GAC,{{cite web |title=MSWOSU, GAC announce spring sports plans |url=https://www.wdnonline.com/news/swosu-gac-announce-spring-sports-plans|website=Weatherford Daily News |access-date=December 17, 2021 |language=en |date=November 18, 2020}} GLIAC,{{cite web |title=GLIAC suspends all fall sports; no football for Grand Valley, Ferris, Wayne State, others |url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/2020/08/12/great-lakes-intercollegiate-athletic-conference-suspends-fall-sports/3353876001/ |website=Detroit Free Press |access-date=December 17, 2021 |language=en |date=August 12, 2020}} GNAC,{{cite web |title=Two conferences have cancelled their planned Spring 2021 seasons |url=https://footballscoop.com/news/two-conferences-have-cancelled-their-planned-spring-2021-seasons |first=Maddie |last=Robertson|website=Footballscoop |access-date=December 17, 2021 |language=en |date=July 14, 2020}} Gulf South,{{cite web |title=GSC status update of football, soccer and volleyball |url=https://www.valdostadailytimes.com/sports/local_sports/gsc-status-update-of-football-soccer-and-volleyball/article_6630982c-d62d-5c3e-9464-a1cc033e8d6f.html |website=Valdosta Daily Times |access-date=December 17, 2021 |language=en}} Lone Star,{{cite web|title=Lone Star Conference will not sponsor spring football championship |url=https://www.texasfootball.com/article/2021/01/18/lone-star-conference-will-not-sponsor-spring-football-championship |website=Dave Campbell's Texas Football |access-date=December 17, 2021}} MIAA, PSAC,{{cite web |title=PSAC Announces Changes to Championship Schedules in 2021 |url=https://psacsports.org/news/2020/7/15/general-psac-suspends-ncaa-competition-for-fall-2020.aspx |website=Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference |access-date=December 17, 2021 |language=en |date=November 11, 2020}} RMAC and SIAC{{cite web| title=SIAC ANNOUNCES RETURN TO PLAY PLANS FOR 2021 |url=https://thesiac.com/news/2020/7/9/general-siac-announces-suspension-of-2020-fall-sports-and-championship-events.aspx |website=Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |access-date=December 17, 2021}} cancelled their football season, but some of their teams decided to play. Standings do not count games designated as exhibitions/scrimmages, only games in a school's official statistics.
=Super Region 1=
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 Great Midwest Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 Mountain East Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings}} |
=Super Region 2=
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 Gulf South Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 South Atlantic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 NCAA Division II independents football records}} |
=Super Region 3=
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 Great American Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 Great Lakes Valley Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings}} |
=Super Region 4=
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 Great Northwest Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 Lone Star Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2020 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings}} |
=Conferences that did not play=
The following conferences did not hold a football season in fall 2020 or spring 2021, and none of their members opted to play independently.
- Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – announced on October 2, 2020, that the football season would not be played.
- Northeast-10 Conference – announced on January 13, 2021, that postponed fall sports would not be rescheduled for the spring.{{cite web |title=NE10 Statement on Cancellation of NCAA DII Fall Championships |url=https://www.northeast10.org/general/2020-21/releases/20210113osh5yu |website=NE-10.org |access-date=December 17, 2021 |date=January 13, 2021}}
- Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – did not have a football season.{{cite web |title= With no formal NSIC spring football season, teams focus on fall |url=https://www.thepublicopinion.com/story/sports/2021/01/15/with-no-formal-nsic-spring-football-season-teams-focus-on-fall/115756804/ |first=Matt |last=Zimmer|website=Watertown Public Opinion |access-date=December 17, 2021 |language=en}}