1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-AA level, began in August 1996, and concluded with the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 21, 1996, at Marshall University Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia. The Marshall Thundering Herd won their second I-AA championship, defeating the defending national champion Montana Grizzlies by a final score of 49–29.[1]

1996 NCAA Division I-AA season
Regular season
DurationAugust–November
Payton AwardArchie Amerson (RB, Northern Arizona)
Buchanan AwardDexter Coakley (LB, Appalachian State)
Playoff
DurationNovember 30–December 21
Championship dateDecember 21, 1996
Championship siteMarshall University Stadium
Huntington, West Virginia
ChampionMarshall
NCAA Division I-AA football seasons

Conference changes and new programs

  • The American West Conference disbanded following the 1995 season and its four remaining members either became independents (Cal Poly, Sacramento State, and Southern Utah) or joined the Big Sky (Cal State Northridge).
  • Prior to the season, the Northeast Conference, a preexisting Division I conference, announced it would add football for its five members that sponsored the sport.
School1995 Conference1996 Conference
Boise StateBig SkyBig West (I-A)
Cal State NorthridgeAmerican WestBig Sky
Cal PolyAmerican WestI-AA Independent
Central Connecticut StateI-AA IndependentNortheast
Central FloridaI-AA IndependentI-A Independent
Eastern IllinoisGatewayOhio Valley
FairfieldNew ProgramMAAC
IdahoBig SkyBig West (I-A)
Jacksonville StateD-II IndependentSouthland (I-AA)
MonmouthI-AA IndependentNortheast
Morehead StateOhio ValleyI-AA Independent
Portland StateD-II IndependentBig Sky (I-AA)
Robert MorrisI-AA IndependentNortheast
Sacramento StateAmerican WestI-AA Independent
St. Francis (PA)I-AA IndependentNortheast
Southern UtahAmerican WestI-AA Independent
Troy StateI-AA IndependentSouthland
UABI-AA IndependentI-A Independent
WagnerI-AA IndependentNortheast

Conference standings

1996 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 2 Montana $^  7 0     14 1  
No. 6 Northern Arizona ^  6 1     9 3  
Cal State Northridge  4 3     7 4  
Weber State  4 3     7 4  
Eastern Washington  3 4     6 5  
Montana State  3 4     6 5  
Idaho State  1 6     4 7  
Sacramento State  0 7     1 10  
Portland State  0 0     3 8  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
  • Portland State games did not count in conference standings
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1996 Gateway Football Conference standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 3 Northern Iowa $^  5 0     12 2  
No. 10 Western Illinois ^  3 2     9 3  
No. 21 Southwest Missouri State  3 2     7 4  
Indiana State  3 2     6 5  
Southern Illinois  1 4     5 6  
Illinois State  0 5     3 8  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1996 Ivy League football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 17 Dartmouth $  7 0     10 0  
Columbia  5 2     8 2  
Brown  4 3     5 5  
Cornell  4 3     4 6  
Penn  3 4     5 5  
Harvard  2 5     4 6  
Princeton  2 5     3 7  
Yale  1 6     2 8  
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1996 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
Duquesne $  8 0     10 1  
Georgetown  7 1     7 3  
Marist  6 2     7 3  
St. John's  5 3     6 4  
Canisius  4 4     5 4  
Saint Peter's  2 6     2 7  
Siena  2 6     2 7  
Fairfield  1 7     1 8  
Iona  1 7     1 9  
  • $ Conference champion
1996 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 12 Florida A&M $^  7 0     9 3  
No. 20 Howard  6 1     10 2  
North Carolina A&T  4 3     8 3  
South Carolina State  4 3     4 6  
Hampton  3 4     5 6  
Morgan State  2 5     4 7  
Delaware State  2 5     3 8  
Bethune–Cookman  0 7     2 9  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1996 Northeast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
Robert Morris +  3 1     9 2  
Monmouth +  3 1     7 3  
Central Connecticut  2 2     3 7  
Wagner  2 2     5 5  
Saint Francis (PA)  0 4     3 7  
  • + Conference co-champions
1996 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 4 Murray State $^  8 0     11 2  
No. 16 Eastern Illinois ^  6 2     8 4  
Eastern Kentucky  6 2     6 5  
Middle Tennessee  4 4     6 5  
Tennessee Tech  4 4     5 6  
Tennessee State  3 5     4 7  
Southeast Missouri State  3 5     3 8  
Austin Peay  1 7     1 10  
Tennessee–Martin  1 7     1 10  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1996 Patriot League football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
Bucknell $  4 1     6 5  
Colgate  3 2     6 5  
Lehigh  3 2     5 6  
Lafayette  2 2     5 5  
Fordham  1 3     2 8  
Holy Cross  1 4     2 9  
  • $ Conference champion
1996 Pioneer Football League standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 24 Dayton $  5 0     11 0  
Drake  4 1     8 3  
Evansville  2 3     5 5  
Butler  2 3     3 7  
San Diego  1 4     4 6  
Valparaiso  1 4     4 6  
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1996 Southern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 1 Marshall $^  8 0     15 0  
No. T–8 East Tennessee State ^  7 1     10 3  
No. 13 Furman ^  6 2     9 4  
No. 25 Appalachian State  5 3     7 4  
The Citadel  3 5     4 7  
Georgia Southern  2 6     4 7  
VMI  2 6     3 8  
Chattanooga  2 6     3 8  
Western Carolina  1 7     4 7  
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1996 Southland Football League standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 5 Troy State $^  5 1     12 2  
No. 19 Nicholls State ^  4 2     8 4  
No. 22 Stephen F. Austin  3 3     7 4  
Northwestern State  3 3     6 5  
Sam Houston State  3 3     4 7  
Southwest Texas State  2 4     5 6  
McNeese State  1 5     3 8  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
  • Ranking is from the Sports Network Poll
1996 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 8t Jackson State $^  6 1     10 2  
Southern  5 2     7 5  
Mississippi Valley State  5 2     7 4  
Texas Southern  5 2     7 4  
Alcorn State  3 4     4 7  
Grambling State  2 5     3 8  
Alabama State  2 5     3 8  
Prairie View A&M  0 7     0 11  
  • $ Conference champion
  • ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
1996 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
New England
No. 18 New Hampshire x  6 2     8 3  
Maine  5 3     7 4  
UMass  4 4     6 5  
Connecticut  3 5     4 6  
Rhode Island  2 6     4 6  
Boston University  0 8     1 10  
Mid-Atlantic
No. 7 William & Mary x$^  7 1     10 3  
No. 14 Villanova ^  6 2     8 4  
No. 11 Delaware ^  6 2     8 4  
No. 23 James Madison  5 3     7 4  
Northeastern  3 5     6 5  
Richmond  1 7     2 9  
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
1996 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
Buffalo       8 3  
No. 15 Youngstown State       8 3  
Saint Mary's       7 3  
Western Kentucky       7 4  
Davidson       6 4  
Towson       6 4  
Samford       6 5  
Wofford       6 5  
Cal Poly       5 6  
Hofstra       5 6  
Liberty       5 6  
Southern Utah       4 7  
Charleston Southern       2 8  
Morehead State       2 8  
Jacksonville State       1 9  
  • ^ NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Conference champions

Conference Champions

Big Sky Conference – Montana
Gateway Football Conference – Northern Iowa
Ivy League – Dartmouth
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Duquesne
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Florida A&M
Northeast ConferenceMonmouth and Robert Morris
Ohio Valley Conference – Murray State
Patriot League – Bucknell
Pioneer Football League – Dayton
Southern Conference – Marshall
Southland Football League – Troy State
Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State
Yankee Conference – William & Mary

Postseason

The location of the title game, Marshall University Stadium, was determined before the playoffs started.[2]

NCAA Division I-AA Playoff bracket

First Round
November 30
Campus Sites
Quarterfinals
December 7
Campus Sites
Semifinals
December 14
Campus Sites
National Championship Game
December 21
Marshall University Stadium
Huntington, West Virginia
            
16 Nicholls State 3
1 Montana* 48
1 Montana* 44
6 East Tennessee State 14
11 Villanova 29
6 East Tennessee State* 35
1 Montana* 70
4 Troy State 7
13 Florida A&M 25
4 Troy State* 29
4 Troy State* 31
5 Murray State 3
12 Western Illinois 6
5 Murray State* 34
1 Montana 29
2 Marshall 49
15 Delaware 14
2 Marshall* 59
2 Marshall* 54
10 Furman 0
10 Furman 42
7 Northern Arizona* 31
2 Marshall* 31
3 Northern Iowa 14
14 Eastern Illinois 14
3 Northern Iowa* 21
3 Northern Iowa* 38
8 William & Mary 35
9 Jackson State 6
8 William & Mary* 45

* Denotes host institution
Source:[3]

References

  1. "1996 NCAA Division I Football Championship" (PDF). NCAA.org. p. 15. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  2. "Griz No. 2 in latest I-AA poll". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. November 12, 1996. p. 1C. Retrieved April 17, 2019 via newspapers.com.
  3. "Division I-AA tournament". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. November 25, 1996. p. B7. Retrieved February 9, 2019 via newspapers.com.
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