"[4] A total of 120 college teams played as major independents.
Among independents that played at least 10 games, St. John's of Ohio (15–0) was undefeated, and Central Missouri (22–2), Oberlin (22–2), and Wabash (22–4) finished with the most wins.
[9] The practice of selecting a Consensus All-American Team did not begin until the 1928–29 season.
The Helms Athletic Foundation later retroactively selected a list of All-Americans for the 1920–21 season.
[10] A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.