Through games of Sept. 18, 2021:
| Rank | School (No. 1 votes) | W-L | Points | Prev. |
| 1 | North Central (Ill.) (12) | 2-0 | 596 | 4 |
| 2 | Mary Hardin-Baylor (10) | 3-0 | 595 | 1 |
| 3 | UW-Whitewater (1) | 3-0 | 580 | 2 |
| 4 | Mount Union (2) | 2-0 | 571 | 3 |
| 5 | Wheaton (Ill.) | 1-1 | 484 | 5 |
| 6 | St. John's | 2-0 | 478 | 7 |
| 7 | Hardin-Simmons | 3-0 | 435 | 6 |
| 8 | UW-Oshkosh | 2-0 | 423 | 9 |
| 9 | Linfield | 2-0 | 414 | 11 |
| 10 | Delaware Valley | 3-0 | 410 | 10 |
| 11 | Washington and Jefferson | 3-0 | 342 | 12 |
| 12 | Union | 3-0 | 292 | 13 |
| 13 | Bethel | 2-0 | 283 | 15 |
| 14 | Central | 3-0 | 280 | 16 |
| 15 | Salisbury | 1-1 | 267 | 14 |
| 16 | Randolph-Macon | 3-0 | 237 | 18 |
| 17 | Chapman | 3-0 | 201 | 17 |
| 18 | Johns Hopkins | 3-0 | 195 | 21 |
| 19 | Ithaca | 3-0 | 189 | 19 |
| 20 | Whitworth | 3-0 | 122 | 23 |
| 21 | John Carroll | 1-1 | 118 | 20 |
| 22 | Heidelberg | 2-0 | 102 | 22 |
| 23 | UW-La Crosse | 2-1 | 81 | 24 |
| 24 | Muhlenberg | 2-1 | 78 | 8 |
| 25 | Cortland | 3-0 | 61 | -- |
Dropped out: No. 25 Berry.
Others receiving votes: Hobart 47, Berry 34, Westminster (Pa.) 33, Gustavus Adolphus 30, Susquehanna 20, Aurora 17, Birmingham-Southern 16, Wabash 14, Wartburg 13, Centre 12, Bridgewater (Va.) 10, Baldwin Wallace 9, Ursinus 9, UW-Stout 7, Trinity (Texas) 7, Case Western Reserve 6, RPI 4, Widener 2, UW-River Falls 1.
The D3football.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly. Points are awarded on a 25-24-23-22-etc. basis.