| Sep 18, 1981 | Rutgers 3, Virginia 0 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 12Alabama 19, Kentucky 10 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | App State 31, Chattanooga 14 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 18Arizona State 33, Wichita State 21 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Arkansas 38, Northwestern 7 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Baylor 28, Louisiana Tech 21 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Boston College 13, Texas A&M 12 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 13BYU 65, UTEP 8 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | California 14, Arizona 13 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Central Michigan 17, Northern Illinois 10 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | The Citadel 12, Western Carolina 3 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Clemson 13, 4Georgia 3upset | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Dartmouth 32, Princeton 13 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Florida 27, Georgia Tech 6 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Harvard 23, Columbia 6 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Hawai’i 38, Cal State Fullerton 12 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Illinois 17, Syracuse 14 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Illinois State 28, Eastern Michigan 7 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Indiana State 41, New Mexico State 6 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Iowa State 23, Iowa 12 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | LSU 27, Oregon State 24 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | UL Monroe 20, Louisiana 17 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Louisville 35, Long Beach State 13 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 16Miami 12, Houston 7 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 11Michigan 25, 1Notre Dame 7upset | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Minnesota 16, Purdue 13 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Ole Miss 7, Memphis 3 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 14Mississippi State 29, Vanderbilt 9 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Missouri 42, Rice 10 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 17Nebraska 34, 19Florida State 14 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 10North Carolina 49, Miami (OH) 7 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | NC State 31, East Carolina 10 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Ohio 23, Bowling Green 21 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 8Ohio State 27, Michigan State 13 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Oklahoma State 23, Tulsa 21 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Oregon 34, Pacific 0 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Pennsylvania 29, Cornell 22upset | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 7Pittsburgh 38, Cincinnati 7 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Richmond 24, Arkansas State 20 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | San José State 28, Stanford 6 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | South Carolina 17, Duke 3 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 2USC 21, Indiana 0 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Southern Miss 21, Tulane 3 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Tennessee 42, Colorado State 0 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 6Texas 23, North Texas 10 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | TCU 38, Texas–Arlington 16 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Texas Tech 28, New Mexico 21 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Toledo 40, Ball State 0 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 9UCLA 31, 20Wisconsin 13 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | VMI 14, Army 7 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Virginia Tech 47, William & Mary 3 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Wake Forest 24, Auburn 21upset | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | 15Washington 20, Kansas State 3 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Washington State 14, Colorado 10 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | West Texas 21, UNLV 17upset | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | West Virginia 17, Maryland 13 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Western Michigan 14, Marshall 3 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Wyoming 17, Air Force 10 | Box score |
| Sep 19, 1981 | Yale 28, Brown 7 | Box score |