| Rk | Team | Record | Rating | Conference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt | (7-0-1) | 0.7554 | SIAA | |
| 2 | Penn State | (8-0-2) | 0.6178 | Independent | |
| 3 | Centre | (10-1-0) | 0.6137 | SIAA | |
| 4 | Nebraska | (7-1-0) | 0.5962 | Missouri Valley | |
| 5 | Georgia | (7-2-1) | 0.5947 | SIAA | |
| 6 | Iowa | (7-0-0) | 0.5761 | Big Ten | |
| 7 | Georgia Tech | (8-1-0) | 0.5460 | SIAA | |
| 8 | Washington & Jefferson | (10-0-1) | 0.5453 | Independent | |
| 9 | Chicago | (6-1-0) | 0.5372 | Big Ten | |
| 10 | Harvard | (7-2-1) | 0.5146 | Independent | |
| 11 | Missouri | (6-2-0) | 0.5117 | Missouri Valley | |
| 12 | Lafayette | (9-0-0) | 0.5105 | Independent | |
| 13 | Texas A&M | (6-1-2) | 0.4997 | Southwest | |
| 14 | Cornell | (8-0-0) | 0.4803 | Independent | |
| 15 | Yale | (8-1-0) | 0.4704 | Independent | |
| 16 | South Carolina | (5-1-2) | 0.4637 | Independent | |
| 17 | Furman | (7-2-1) | 0.4633 | SIAA | |
| 18 | Notre Dame | (10-1-0) | 0.4579 | Independent | |
| 19 | California | (9-0-1) | 0.4573 | Pacific Coast | |
| 20 | Tennessee | (6-2-1) | 0.4422 | Southern | |
| 21 | Sewanee | (6-2-0) | 0.4398 | SIAA | |
| 22 | Pittsburgh | (5-3-1) | 0.4395 | Independent | |
| 23 | Louisiana State | (6-1-1) | 0.4300 | SIAA | |
| 24 | Wisconsin | (5-1-1) | 0.4258 | Big Ten | |
| 25 | Navy | (6-1-0) | 0.4247 | Independent | |
| 26 | Dartmouth | (6-2-1) | 0.4173 | Independent | |
| 27 | Texas | (6-1-1) | 0.4089 | Southwest | |
| 28 | Ohio State | (5-2-0) | 0.3994 | Big Ten | |
| 29 | Syracuse | (7-2-0) | 0.3933 | Independent | |
| 30 | Kansas | (4-3-0) | 0.3919 | Missouri Valley | |
| 31 | Oklahoma | (5-3-0) | 0.3915 | Missouri Valley | |
| 32 | Princeton | (4-3-0) | 0.3852 | Independent | |
| 33 | Michigan | (5-1-1) | 0.3701 | Big Ten | |
| 34 | Auburn | (5-3-0) | 0.3651 | SIAA | |
| 35 | Erskine | (6-2-0) | 0.3614 | Independent | |
| 36 | North Carolina | (5-2-2) | 0.3499 | South Atlantic | |
| 37 | Drake | (5-2-0) | 0.3425 | Missouri Valley | |
| 38 | Kansas State | (5-3-0) | 0.3367 | Missouri Valley | |
| 39 | Iowa State | (4-4-0) | 0.3001 | Missouri Valley | |
| 40 | Virginia Tech | (7-3-0) | 0.2853 | South Atlantic | |
| 41 | Kentucky | (4-3-1) | 0.2812 | SIAA | |
| 42 | Mississippi College | (7-2-1) | 0.2801 | SIAA | |
| 43 | Florida | (6-3-2) | 0.2699 | SIAA | |
| 44 | Alabama | (5-4-2) | 0.2521 | SIAA | |
| 45 | Baylor | (8-3-0) | 0.2264 | Southwest | |
| 46 | Illinois | (3-4-0) | 0.2226 | Big Ten | |
| 47 | Mississippi State | (4-4-1) | 0.2166 | SIAA | |
| 48 | Oglethorpe | (5-4-0) | 0.2077 | SIAA | |
| 49 | Washington (Missouri) | (4-3-1) | 0.2053 | Missouri Valley | |
| 50 | Oregon | (5-1-3) | 0.2035 | Pacific Coast | |
| 51 | Washington & Lee | (6-3-0) | 0.2024 | South Atlantic | |
| 52 | Lehigh | (4-4-0) | 0.2020 | Independent | |
| 53 | Arkansas | (5-3-1) | 0.1988 | Southwest | |
| 54 | West Virginia | (5-4-1) | 0.1936 | Independent | |
| 55 | Virginia | (5-4-0) | 0.1922 | South Atlantic | |
| 56 | Newberry | (3-3-1) | 0.1820 | Independent | |
| 57 | Brown | (5-3-1) | 0.1772 | Independent | |
| 58 | North Carolina State | (3-3-3) | 0.1631 | South Atlantic | |
| 59 | Citadel | (3-3-2) | 0.1610 | SIAA | |
| 60 | Pennsylvania | (4-3-2) | 0.1457 | Independent | |
| 61 | Oklahoma State | (5-4-1) | 0.1400 | Southwest | |
| 62 | Rice | (4-4-1) | 0.1371 | Southwest | |
| 63 | Tulane | (4-6-0) | 0.1325 | SIAA | |
| 64 | Rutgers | (4-5-0) | 0.1288 | Independent | |
| 65 | Fort Benning | (2-3-0) | 0.1182 | Independent | |
| 66 | Washington State | (4-2-1) | 0.1155 | Pacific Coast | |
| 67 | Indiana | (3-4-0) | 0.1063 | Big Ten | |
| 68 | Texas Christian | (6-3-1) | 0.0767 | Independent | |
| 69 | Minnesota | (3-4-0) | 0.0764 | Big Ten | |
| 70 | Clemson | (1-6-2) | 0.0659 | SIAA | |
| 71 | Davidson | (3-4-3) | 0.0641 | South Atlantic | |
| 72 | Colgate | (4-4-2) | 0.0605 | Independent | |
| 73 | Oregon State | (4-3-2) | 0.0523 | Pacific Coast | |
| 74 | Mercer | (3-6-0) | 0.0311 | SIAA | |
| 75 | Richmond | (4-3-1) | 0.0298 | South Atlantic | |
| 76 | Spring Hill | (4-4-0) | 0.0058 | Independent | |
| 77 | Maryland | (3-5-1) | -0.0034 | South Atlantic | |
| 78 | Stanford | (4-2-2) | -0.0074 | Pacific Coast | |
| 79 | Virginia Military Institute | (3-5-1) | -0.0142 | South Atlantic | |
| 80 | William & Mary | (4-3-1) | -0.0221 | South Atlantic | |
| 81 | Birmingham-Southern | (4-4-1) | -0.0441 | Independent | |
| 81= | Washington | (3-4-1) | -0.0441 | Pacific Coast | |
| 83 | Idaho | (4-3-1) | -0.0526 | Independent | |
| 84 | Purdue | (1-6-0) | -0.1022 | Big Ten | |
| 85 | Tennessee-Chattanooga | (4-6-0) | -0.1192 | SIAA | |
| 86 | Grinnell | (2-5-0) | -0.1235 | Missouri Valley | |
| 87 | Phillips | (3-4-2) | -0.1467 | Independent | |
| 88 | Samford | (3-6-0) | -0.1983 | SIAA | |
| 89 | Northwestern | (1-6-0) | -0.2257 | Big Ten | |
| 90 | Southern Methodist | (1-6-1) | -0.2544 | Southwest | |
| 91 | Transylvania | (4-4-0) | -0.2617 | SIAA | |
| 92 | Mississippi | (3-6-0) | -0.2839 | SIAA | |
| 93 | Columbia | (2-6-0) | -0.2979 | Independent | |
| 94 | Presbyterian | (1-7-0) | -0.3289 | Independent | |
| 95 | Catholic | (3-5-0) | -0.3422 | South Atlantic | |
| 96 | Wofford | (2-7-0) | -0.4018 | SIAA | |
| 97 | Millsaps | (2-4-1) | -0.4093 | SIAA | |
| 98 | George Washington | (0-2-1) | -0.4144 | South Atlantic | |
| 99 | Wake Forest | (2-8-0) | -0.4152 | Independent | |
| 100 | Georgetown (Kentucky) | (2-6-0) | -0.5359 | SIAA | |
| 101 | Southwestern (Texas) | (0-6-1) | -0.5761 | Independent |
Average Ratings by Conference (1921)
| Rk | Conference | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern | 0.4422 | |
| 2 | Missouri Valley | 0.3280 | |
| 3 | Big Ten | 0.2386 | |
| 4 | Southwest | 0.1938 | |
| 5 | Independent | 0.1907 | |
| 6 | SIAA | 0.1558 | |
| 7 | Pacific Coast | 0.1295 | |
| 8 | South Atlantic | 0.0409 |