1976 NCAA Division II football season

1976 NCAA Division II football season
Regular season	August – November 1976
Playoffs	November 27 – December 11, 1976
National Championship	Pioneer Bowl Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, TX
Champion	Montana State

The 1976 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in August 1976 and concluded with the championship game on December 11 at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Montana State Bobcats defeated the Akron Zips 24–13 in the Pioneer Bowl to win their only Division II national title.

Conference changes and new programs

School	1975 Conference	1976 Conference
Alabama State	SIAC	D-II Independent
Cal State Los Angeles	CCAA	Independent
Eastern Michigan	Independent	MAC (D-I)
Illinois State	D-II Independent	D-I Independent

Conference standings

1976 Big Sky Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 1 Montana State $^ 6 – 0 – 0 12 – 1 – 0 Idaho 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Northern Arizona 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Montana 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Boise State 2 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 1 Weber State 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 Idaho State 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II AP Poll	1976 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Cal Poly $ 2 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 1 Cal Poly Pomona 1 – 1 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 Cal State Northridge 0 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1976 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Norfolk State $ 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Hampton 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Fayetteville State 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Virginia Union 5 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0 Livingstone 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Winston-Salem State 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Johnson C. Smith 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Virginia State 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Elizabeth City State 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Saint Paul's (VA) 1 – 7 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Shaw 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1976 Far Western Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T UC Davis $ 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Humboldt State 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Chico State 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 San Francisco State 2 – 3 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Sacramento State 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Cal State Hayward 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1976 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 15 Northwood $ 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 2 – 1 No. 7 Grand Valley State 3 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Wayne State (MI) 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 2 – 0 Ferris State 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Hillsdale 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Saginaw Valley State 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1976 Gulf South Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 6 Troy State $ 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 1 Southeastern Louisiana 6 – 1 – 1 9 – 1 – 1 Jacksonville State 6 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Tennessee–Martin 5 – 3 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Livingston 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 North Alabama 3 – 4 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 Delta State 2 – 5 – 1 4 – 6 – 1 Nicholls State 2 – 5 – 1 4 – 6 – 1 Mississippi College 0 – 8 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll
1976 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Saint Joseph's (IN) + 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Evansville + 4 – 1 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Indiana Central 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Butler 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Valparaiso 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 1 DePauw 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1976 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. T–8 South Carolina State + 5 – 1 – 0 10 – 1 – 0 Morgan State + 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 North Carolina A&T 3 – 2 – 1 6 – 4 – 1 Howard 3 – 2 – 1 5 – 5 – 1 North Carolina Central 2 – 4 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Delaware State 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 1 Maryland Eastern Shore 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from Associated Press poll	1976 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T SE Missouri State + 4 – 1 – 1 7 – 3 – 1 NE Missouri State + 4 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1 NW Missouri State 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 SW Missouri State 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Missouri–Rolla 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 1 Central Missouri State 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Lincoln (MO) 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 11 – 0 + – Conference co-champions
1976 North Central Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. T–8 North Dakota State $^ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 3 – 0 South Dakota State 4 – 1 – 1 5 – 4 – 1 Northern Iowa 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 South Dakota 3 – 2 – 1 4 – 5 – 1 North Dakota 1 – 4 – 1 1 – 7 – 1 Augustana (SD) 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Morningside 0 – 5 – 1 1 – 7 – 1 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AP Poll	1976 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 10 Minnesota Morris $ 7 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 1 Michigan Tech 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Minnesota Duluth 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 St. Cloud State 4 – 3 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Bemidji State 3 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Moorhead State 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Winona State 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0 Southwest State (MN) 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion St. Cloud State forfeited a conference win over Minnesota Duluth and three non-conference wins; NCAA, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, and St. Cloud State records do not reflect the forfeits in the team's overall record. Rankings from NAIA Division I poll	1976 Ohio Valley Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 5 Eastern Kentucky $^ 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Tennessee Tech 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Murray State 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Austin Peay 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0 Western Kentucky 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 5 – 1 East Tennessee State 3 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Middle Tennessee 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0 Morehead State 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Morehead State record adjusted for forfeit to Marshall Rankings from Associated Press poll
1976 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T East Division East Stroudsburg xy+ 6 – 0 – 0 9 – 0 – 1 West Chester 4 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Millersville 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 Kutztown 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Bloomsburg 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Cheyney 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 7 – 0 Mansfield 0 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 1 West Division Shippensburg xy+ 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 1 Slippery Rock x 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Edinboro 4 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 Clarion 3 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0 Indiana (PA) 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 California (PA) 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Lock Haven 0 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Championship: East Stroudsburg 14, Shippensburg 14 + – Conference co-champions x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant	1976 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. T–8 Alcorn State $ 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Southern 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Grambling State 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 4 – 0 Prairie View A&M 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Jackson State 3 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Mississippi Valley State 1 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 Texas Southern 1 – 5 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from Associated Press poll	1976 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Division I Bethune–Cookman x 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 Tuskegee 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 3 – 1 Florida A&M 3 – 1 – 1 6 – 3 – 2 Morris Brown 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 1 Alabama A&M 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 8 – 0 Albany State 1 – 4 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Division II Fort Valley State x 5 – 0 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Knoxville 3 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0 Lane 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 Morehouse 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 5 – 0 Clark (GA) 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 Miles 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Fisk 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Savannah State 0 – 5 – 0 0 – 9 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions
1976 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Northern Division No. 5 Shepherd xy 4 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0 No. 11 Salem 3 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 1 West Liberty State 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Fairmont State 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 West Virginia Wesleyan 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0 Southern Division No. T–19 Concord xy$ 4 – 0 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 West Virginia State 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 4 – 1 Bluefield State 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 6 – 0 West Virginia Tech 1 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0 Glenville State 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Championship: Concord 21, Shepherd 7 $ – Conference champion Conference standings based on power ratings Rankings from NAIA Division I poll for Salem and Shepherd and NAIA Division II poll for Concord	1976 Yankee Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. T–8 New Hampshire $^ 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0 UMass 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 5 – 0 Maine 2 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0 Rhode Island 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 0 Boston University 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 7 – 0 Connecticut 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll	1976 NCAA Division II independents football records Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 2 Northern Michigan ^   –   11 – 2 – 0 No. 3 Akron ^   –   10 – 3 – 0 No. 7 UNLV ^   –   9 – 3 – 0 No. 4 Delaware ^   –   8 – 3 – 1 Nevada   –   8 – 3 – 0 Portland State   –   8 – 3 – 0 Tennessee State   –   7 – 2 – 1 American International   –   6 – 3 – 0 Northern Colorado   –   6 – 3 – 0 Madison   –   7 – 4 – 0 Santa Clara   –   7 – 4 – 0 Western Carolina   –   6 – 4 – 0 Chattanooga   –   6 – 4 – 1 Southern Connecticut State   –   5 – 4 – 0 Central State (OH)   –   6 – 5 – 0 Lehigh   –   6 – 5 – 0 Cal State Los Angeles   –   5 – 3 – 1 Arkansas–Pine Bluff   –   5 – 5 – 0 Central Connecticut   –   5 – 5 – 0 Lafayette   –   5 – 5 – 0 Eastern Illinois   –   5 – 6 – 0 Bucknell   –   4 – 5 – 0 Youngstown State   –   4 – 6 – 0 Kentucky State   –   3 – 7 – 1 Nebraska–Omaha   –   3 – 8 – 0 Northeastern   –   2 – 7 – 0 ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

Conference summaries

See also: List of NCAA Division II football seasons

Conference Champions

Big Sky Conference – Montana State Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Norfolk State Far Western Football Conference – UC Davis Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Northwood Gulf South Conference – Troy State Indiana Collegiate Conference - Evansville and St. Joseph's Lone Star Conference – Texas A&I Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Northeast Missouri State and Southeast Missouri State North Central Conference – North Dakota State Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota–Morris Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – East Stroudsburg Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Western State (CO) South Atlantic Conference – Elon Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Division II) – Bethune-Cookman Yankee Conference – New Hampshire

Postseason

1976 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Teams	8
Finals Site	Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, TX
Champion	Montana State (1st title, 1st title game)
Runner-up	Akron (1st title game)
Semifinalists	Northern Michigan North Dakota State
Winning coach	Sonny Holland 1st championship
Attendance	13,200 (Pioneer Bowl)

The 1976 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the fourth single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's Division II college football. The championship game (Pioneer Bowl) was held at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas for the first time.

Playoff bracket

	First round Campus sites November 27					Semifinals Campus sites Knute Rockne Bowl Grantland Rice Bowl December 4					Championship Pioneer Bowl Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, TX December 11
	Akron*		27
	UNLV		6
						Akron*		29
						Northern Michigan		26
	Northern Michigan		28
	Delaware*		17
											Akron		13
											Montana State		24
	North Dakota State		10
	Eastern Kentucky*		7
						North Dakota State*		3
						Montana State		10
	Montana State*		17
	New Hampshire		16

* Denotes host institution

See also

• 1976 NCAA Division I football season
• 1976 NCAA Division III football season
• 1976 NAIA Division I football season
• 1976 NAIA Division II football season