2020–21 NCAA Division II football season

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.[1] 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.[2][3]

2020 NCAA Division II football season
Total No. of teams67
Regular seasonSeptember 26, 2020 – April 25, 2021
PlayoffsNot held
Harlon Hill TrophyNot awarded

The season concluded with the end of the regular season, as the playoffs and championship game were not held due to the pandemic.

Conference changes and new programs

Membership changes
SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference
Barton BulldogsReturning program, last competed 1950Independent[4]
Dixie State TrailblazersRMACWAC (FCS)
Erskine Flying FleetReturning program, last competed 1951Independent[5]
Florida Tech PanthersGulf SouthDropped program[6]
Minnesota Crookston Golden EaglesNorthern SunDropped program[7]
UNC Pembroke BravesIndependentMountain East
St. Cloud State HuskiesNorthern SunDropped program[8]
Tarleton TexansLone StarWAC (FCS)
Urbana Blue KnightsMountain EastShut down at end of 2019–20 academic year[9]

    Conference standings

    Only four conferences (GLVC, G-MAC, Mountain East and SAC), plus independents (Barton and Erskine) decided to play the season. All of them decided to play a spring schedule. GAC,[10] GLIAC,[11] GNAC,[12] Gulf South,[13] Lone Star,[14] MIAA, PSAC,[15] RMAC and SIAC[16] 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
    2020 Great Midwest Athletic Conference football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    Tiffin $  5 –0   6 –0  
    Findlay  4 –2   4 –2  
    Ohio Dominican  4 –2   4 –2  
    Hillsdale  2 –2   2 –2  
    Kentucky Wesleyan  1 –4   1 –4  
    Walsh  1 –4   1 –4  
    Lake Erie  0 –3   0 –3  
    • $ – Conference champion
    2020 Mountain East Conference football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    North
    Notre Dame (OH) y$  4 –0   5 –0  
    Frostburg State #  3 –1   3 –1  
    Wheeling  2 –2   2 –2  
    West Liberty  2 –2   2 –2  
    Alderson Broaddus  0 –4   0 –4  
    South
    Charleston (WV) y  3 –0   3 –1  
    Concord  1 –0   1 –0  
    UNC Pembroke  2 –2   2 –2  
    West Virginia State  2 –2   2 –2  
    West Virginia Wesleyan  0 –2   0 –2  
    Glenville State  0 –4   0 –4  
    Championship: Notre Dame (OH) 51, Charleston (WV) 34
    • $ – Conference champion
    • y – Championship game participant
    • Notes: Fairmont State opted out of the spring season.
      # – Provisional NCAA Division II member
    2020 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    Shepherd   –   1 –0  
    Gannon   –   1 –3  
    Mercyhurst   –   0 –2  

    Super Region 2
    2020 Gulf South Conference football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    West Alabama   –   2 –0  
    Shorter   –   2 –2  
    Mississippi College   –   0 –1  
    2020 South Atlantic Conference football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    Mountain
    Tusculum y$  2 –0   4 –1  
    Carson–Newman  1 –0   1 –0  
    Mars Hill  1 –2   1 –2  
    Virginia–Wise  1 –2   1 –2  
    Limestone  1 –2   1 –3  
    Piedmont
    Lenoir–Rhyne y  3 –0   3 –1  
    Newberry  3 –1   5 –1  
    Wingate  2 –2   2 –2  
    Catawba  0 –2   0 –2  
    Championship: Tusculum 28, Lenoir–Rhyne 23
    • $ – Conference champion
    • y – Championship game participant
    • Notes: Barton was not a member of SAC at the time but a scheduling partner for the conference; games against Barton counted toward conference records.
    2020 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    Fort Valley State   –   2 –0  
    Savannah State   –   1 –1  
    2020 NCAA Division II independents football records
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    Erskine   –   1 –5  
    Barton   –   0 –4  

    Super Region 3
    2020 Great American Conference football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    East Central   –   2 –0  
    Southern Nazarene   –   0 –3  
    2020 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    Davenport   –   2 –0  
    2020 Great Lakes Valley Conference football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    East
    Indianapolis y$  2 –0   3 –0  
    McKendree  1 –1   1 –1  
    Quincy  0 –2   0 –2  
    Lindenwood  0 –0   0 –0  
    West
    Truman State y  3 –0   3 –1  
    Missouri S&T  2 –1   2 –1  
    Southwest Baptist  1 –2   1 –2  
    William Jewell  0 –3   0 –3  
    Championship: Indianapolis 46, Truman State 29
    • $ – Conference champion
    • y – Championship game participant
    • Note: Season played in spring 2021. Lindenwood opted not to participate.
    2020 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    Nebraska–Kearney   –   2 –0  
    Missouri Southern   –   1 –0  
    Pittsburg State   –   2 –2  
    Northeastern State   –   0 –1  
    Missouri Western   –   0 –2  
    Lincoln (MO)   –   0 –2  
    Rankings from AP Poll

    Super Region 4
    2020 Great Northwest Athletic Conference football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    Central Washington   –   0 –1  
    • Notes: Due to COVID-19, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference suspended the fall 2020 football season. The conference also announced no in-conference competition for spring 2021 play. Schools scheduled own games if desired to play.
      Simon Fraser and Western Oregon opted out of the spring season. Azusa Pacific dropped football in late-December.
    2020 Lone Star Conference football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    Texas–Permian Basin   –   5 –0  
    West Texas A&M   –   3 –3  
    Angelo State   –   2 –2  
    Midwestern State   –   1 –2  
    Western New Mexico   –   0 –1  
    Texas A&M–Kingsville   –   0 –2  
    • Notes: Due to COVID-19, the Lone South Conference suspended the fall 2020 football season. The conference also announced no in-conference competition for spring 2021 play. Schools scheduled own games if desired to play either in the fall or spring. Eastern New Mexico and Texas A&M–Commerce opted out of the season.
    2020 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings
    ConfOverall
    Team W L  W L 
    Chadron State   –   2 –1  
    Colorado Mesa   –   2 –1  
    South Dakota Mines   –   2 –2  
    New Mexico Highlands   –   1 –0  
    Western Colorado   –   0 –1  
    Black Hills State   –   0 –2  
    Fort Lewis   –   0 –2  

    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.

    See also

    References
    1. Pekale, Zach (November 21, 2020). "2020 DII football schedule: Dates, times, matchups". NCAA.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
    2. "Historic Spring College Football Season Set to Begin". National Football Foundation. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
    3. "More Than 300 College Football Teams Are Preparing For A Spring Season". Forbes. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
    4. "NCAA DII Collegiate Football Is Coming to Barton". Barton College. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
    5. "Erskine Bringing Back Football for 2020 Season". Erskine College. August 24, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
    6. "Florida Tech cuts football program, announces layoffs due to COVID-19 impacts". Florida Today. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
    7. Tollefson, Elizabeth (December 10, 2019). "UMN Crookston Discontinues Golden Eagle Football Program". Crookston, Minnesota. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
    8. Zimmer, Matt (December 10, 2019). "St. Cloud State University cutting its football program". Argus Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
    9. "Ohio's Urbana University to close due to coronavirus challenges, low enrollment". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
    10. "MSWOSU, GAC announce spring sports plans". Weatherford Daily News. November 18, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
    11. "GLIAC suspends all fall sports; no football for Grand Valley, Ferris, Wayne State, others". Detroit Free Press. August 12, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
    12. Robertson, Maddie (July 14, 2020). "Two conferences have cancelled their planned Spring 2021 seasons". Footballscoop. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
    13. "GSC status update of football, soccer and volleyball". Valdosta Daily Times. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
    14. "Lone Star Conference will not sponsor spring football championship". Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
    15. "PSAC Announces Changes to Championship Schedules in 2021". Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. November 11, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
    16. "SIAC ANNOUNCES RETURN TO PLAY PLANS FOR 2021". Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
    17. "NE10 Statement on Cancellation of NCAA DII Fall Championships". NE-10.org. January 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
    18. Zimmer, Matt. "With no formal NSIC spring football season, teams focus on fall". Watertown Public Opinion. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
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