The 1981 NCAA Division II football rankings are from the NCAA Division II football committee. This is for the 1981 season.
| Increase in ranking | ||
| Decrease in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
(#–#)
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Win–loss record | |
(Italics)
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Number of first place votes | |
т
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Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
| Week 1 Sept 23[1] | Week 2 Sept 30[2] | Week 3 Oct 7[3] | Week 4 Oct 14[4] | Week 5 Oct 21[5] | Week 6 Oct 28[6] | Week 7 Nov 4[7] | Week 8 Nov 11[8] | Week 9 Nov 18[9] | Week 10 Nov 25[10] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | North Dakota (3–0) | Southwest Texas State (4–0) | Southwest Texas State (4–0) | Southwest Texas State (5–0) | Southwest Texas State (6–0) | Southwest Texas State (7–0) | Southwest Texas State (8–0) | Southwest Texas State (9–0) | Southwest Texas State (10–0) | Northern Michigan (10–0) | 1. |
| 2. | Northern Michigan (3–0) | Northern Michigan (4–0) | Northern Michigan (5–0) | Northern Michigan (5–0) | Northern Michigan (6–0) | Northern Michigan (7–0) | Northern Michigan (8–0) | Northern Michigan (9–0) | Northern Michigan (10–0) | Virginia Union (11–0) | 2. |
| 3. | Southwest Texas State (3–0) | Puget Sound (4–0) | Puget Sound (5–0) | Virginia Union (5–0) | Virginia Union (6–0) | Virginia Union (7–0) | Virginia Union (8–1) | Virginia Union (9–0) | Virginia Union (10–0) | Puget Sound (10–1) | 3. |
| 4. | Puget Sound (3–0) | Virginia Union (3–0) | Virginia Union (4–0) | Texas A&I (5–0) | Texas A&I (6–0) | Texas A&I (7–0) | Puget Sound (7–1) | Puget Sound (9–1) | Puget Sound (10–1) | Southwest Texas State (10–1) | 4. |
| 5. | Virginia Union (2–0) | Livingston (3–0) | Texas A&I (4–0) | Puget Sound (5–1) | Puget Sound (6–1) | Puget Sound (7–1) | Elizabeth City State (7–1) | Elizabeth City State (8–1) | Jacksonville State (7–2) | Jacksonville State (8–2) | 5. |
| 6. | Mississippi College (2–0) | Texas A&I (3–0) | Abilene Christian (3–0) | Shippensburg (5–0) | Elizabeth City State (5–1) | Elizabeth City State (6–1) | Texas A&I (5–2) | Jacksonville State (6–2) | North Dakota State (8–2) | North Dakota State (8–2) | 6. |
| 7. | Texas A&I (3–0) | Abilene Christian (3–0) | Shippensburg (4–0) | Elizabeth City State (4–1) | Jacksonville State (4–2) | Jacksonville State (4–2) | Jacksonville State (7–2) | North Dakota State (8–2) | North Alabama (8–1) | Elizabeth City State (8–2) | 7. |
| 8. | Clarion State (2–0) | Shippensburg (3–0) | North Dakota (4–1) | North Dakota (5–1) | Shippensburg (6–0) | Shippensburg (7–0) | North Dakota State (8–0) | North Alabama (7–1) | Elizabeth City State (8–2) | Shippensburg (11–0) | 8. |
| 9. | Livingston (2–0) | North Dakota (3–1) | Cal State Northridge (3–0–1) [note 1] | Cal State Northridge (4–0–1) | Minnesota–Duluth (7–0) | North Dakota State (6–2) | Shippensburg (6–1) | Shippensburg (9–0) | Grand Valley State (7–2) | Texas A&I (9–2) | 9. |
| 10. | Elizabeth City State (2–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (4–0) | Livingston (3–1) | Jacksonville State (3–2) | North Dakota State (5–2) | Minnesota–Duluth (8–0) | North Alabama | Abilene Christian (7–1) | Shippensburg (10–0) | Grand Valley State (7–2) | 10. |
| 11. | Morgan State (2–0) | West Chester State (3–0) | Lock Haven (4–0) | Grand Valley State (6–2) | North Alabama (8–2) | 11. | |||||
| 12. | Minnesota–Duluth (5–0) | 12. | |||||||||
| Week 1 Sept 23[1] | Week 2 Sept 30[2] | Week 3 Oct 7[3] | Week 4 Oct 14[4] | Week 5 Oct 21[5] | Week 6 Oct 28[6] | Week 7 Nov 4[7] | Week 8 Nov 11[8] | Week 9 Nov 18[9] | Week 10 Nov 25[10] | ||
Dropped:
| Dropped: 11 West Chester State | Dropped:
| Dropped:
| None | Dropped: 10 Minnesota–Duluth | Dropped: 6 Texas A&I | Dropped: 10 Abilene Christian | None | |||
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| Pre-divisional |
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| NCAA University Division |
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| NCAA Division I |
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| NCAA Division I-A/FBS |
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| NCAA Division I-AA/FCS |
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| Small college |
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| NCAA Division II |
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| NCAA Division III |
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| Polls |
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