1996 NCAA Division I-A football season

1996 NCAA Division I-A season
Number of teams	111^[1]
Preseason AP #1	Nebraska Cornhuskers^[2]
Post-season
Bowl games	18
Heisman Trophy	Danny Wuerffel, Florida QB
Bowl Alliance Championship
1997 Sugar Bowl
Site	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Winner	Florida Gators
Division I-A football seasons
← 1995 1997 →

The 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Florida Gators crowned National Champions, but not as unanimously as the Bowl Alliance would have hoped.

Florida defeated Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, which was the designated National Championship that year. Florida had faced Florida State earlier in the year, when they were ranked #1 and #2, and lost. Were it not for Texas beating Nebraska, then #3, in the first ever Big 12 Championship Game, Florida wouldn't have even been in the bowl game.

And even once they were there, it wasn't certain a victory would mean a national championship. The Rose Bowl game featured #2 Arizona State and #4 Ohio State. Florida St. and Arizona St. were the only unbeatens going into bowl season, so a Rose Bowl victory would give the Sun Devils a legitimate chance on winning the title. This scenario looked plausible as Arizona State's Jake Plummer scored with 1:40 left to play in the game, making the score 17-14. But Ohio State's backup quarterback Joe Germaine marched down the field to pull out a heart stopping 20-17 win.

On the one hand, this meant the national title game the following night would produce an incontrovertible champion. On the other hand, it left doubt to whether or not Ohio State deserved a stake in the national title, as evidenced by the team's 1½ first place votes in the final AP poll. The Pac-10 and Big Ten could no longer afford to hold on to tradition while the rest of the country wanted a clear national champion. Reading the writing on the wall, they would soon join the national championship series with the other major conferences.

The Big 12 (Big 8 + 4 SWC members in Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Baylor) would begin play as a two division conference, with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State joining the South Division, breaking up the classic Nebraska–Oklahoma rivalry, but renewing the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry, known as the Red River Shootout. The first football game in conference play was between Texas Tech and Kansas State. Kansas State won by a score of 21–14.^[3]

There was a large controversy when #5 BYU was robbed of a spot in a Bowl Alliance game, as they were snubbed in favor of lower ranked teams from Bowl Alliance conferences. This would spur Congress into action, and would eventually be a reason the BCS polls were created.

The 1996 season was also notable as it marked the end of ties in college football, as an overtime system was put into place across all of Division I-A. The 1995 season had overtime rules, but only for postseason games.

Rule changes

The overtime system adopted in the 1995 season for bowl games was expanded for all Division I-A games.
On punts and field goal attempts, the defense cannot touch the center/long snapper for one second after the snap. Violators are penalized 15 yards and an automatic first down.
Officials were instructed to more strictly enforce intentional grounding rules.

Conference realignment

Four teams upgraded from Division I-AA prior to the season and one university dropped its football program. As such, the total number of Division I-A schools increased to 111.

The Big 12 Conference began play this season after a merger between the Big 8 Conference and four members of the former Southwest Conference (Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Baylor). The new 12-member conference was divided into two, six-team divisions.
Conference USA was formed prior to the season after a merger between two conferences that had previously not sponsored football, the Metro Conference and the Great Midwest Conference. Members of the new league included SWC member Houston (from the former Southwest Conference) and five long-time independents: Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis, Southern Miss, and Tulane.
- C-USA was given a tie-in with the Liberty Bowl for its league champion.
The Western Athletic Conference, in turn, accepted TCU, SMU, and Rice from the SWC, UNLV and San Jose State from the Big West, and independent Tulsa. These moves pushed the WAC's membership to 16 and resulted in the creation of two divisions (Pacific and Mountain) and a league championship game.
The Big West Conference also saw Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Northern Illinois, and Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana–Lafayette depart to become independents. All four teams had joined the Big West in 1993.
Pacific dropped their football team after the 1995 season. The Tigers had been a member of the Big West.
Four teams upgraded from Division I-AA prior to the season: Alabama–Birmingham (UAB), Boise State, Central Florida, and Idaho.

Conference changes

School	1995 Conference	1996 Conference
Alabama–Birmingham Blazers	I-AA Independent	I-A Independent
Arkansas State Indians	Big West	I-A Independent
Baylor Bears	SWC	Big 12
Boise State Broncos	Big Sky (I-AA)	Big West (I-A)
Central Florida Knights	I-AA Independent	I-A Independent
Colorado Buffaloes	Big 8	Big 12
Cincinnati Bearcats	I-A Independent	Conference USA
Houston Cougars	SWC	Conference USA
Idaho Vandals	Big Sky (I-AA)	Big West (I-A)
Iowa State Cyclones	Big 8	Big 12
Kansas Jayhawks	Big 8	Big 12
Kansas State Wildcats	Big 8	Big 12
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs	Big West	I-A Independent
Louisville Cardinals	I-A Independent	Conference USA
Memphis Tigers	I-A Independent	Conference USA
Missouri Tigers	Big 8	Big 12
Nebraska Cornhuskers	Big 8	Big 12
North Texas Mean Green	I-A Independent	Big West
Northern Illinois Huskies	Big West	I-A Independent
Oklahoma Sooners	Big 8	Big 12
Oklahoma State Cowboys	Big 8	Big 12
Pacific Tigers	Big West	Dropped Program
Rice Owls	SWC	WAC
San Jose State Spartans	Big West	WAC
SMU Mustangs	SWC	WAC
Southern Miss Golden Eagles	I-A Independent	Conference USA
Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns	Big West	I-A Independent
TCU Horned Frogs	SWC	WAC
Texas Longhorns	SWC	Big 12
Texas A&M Aggies	SWC	Big 12
Texas Tech Red Raiders	SWC	Big 12
Tulane Green Wave	I-A Independent	Conference USA
Tulsa Golden Hurricane	I-A Independent	WAC
UNLV Rebels	Big West	WAC

Conference standings

1996 ACC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#3 Florida State $		8	–	0		11	–	1
#10 North Carolina		6	–	2		10	–	2
Clemson		6	–	2		7	–	5
Virginia		5	–	3		7	–	5
Georgia Tech		4	–	4		5	–	6
Maryland		3	–	5		5	–	6
NC State		3	–	5		3	–	8
Wake Forest		1	–	7		3	–	8
Duke		0	–	8		0	–	11

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

1996 Big East football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#13 Virginia Tech +		6	–	1		10	–	2
#14 Miami (FL) +		6	–	1		9	–	3
#21 Syracuse +		6	–	1		9	–	3
West Virginia		4	–	3		8	–	4
Pittsburgh		3	–	4		4	–	7
Boston College		2	–	5		5	–	7
Rutgers		1	–	6		2	–	9
Temple		0	–	7		1	–	10

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

1996 Big Ten football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#2 Ohio State +		7	–	1		11	–	1
#15 Northwestern +		7	–	1		9	–	3
#7 Penn State		6	–	2		11	–	2
#18 Iowa		6	–	2		9	–	3
#20 Michigan		5	–	3		8	–	4
Michigan State		5	–	3		6	–	6
Wisconsin		3	–	5		8	–	5
Purdue		2	–	6		3	–	8
Minnesota		1	–	7		4	–	7
Indiana		1	–	7		3	–	8
Illinois		1	–	7		2	–	9

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

1996 Big 12 football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Northern Division
#6 Nebraska x%		8	–	0		11	–	2
#8 Colorado		7	–	1		10	–	2
#17 Kansas State		6	–	2		9	–	3
Missouri		3	–	5		5	–	6
Kansas		2	–	6		4	–	7
Iowa State		1	–	7		2	–	9
Southern Division
#23 Texas x$		6	–	2		8	–	5
Texas Tech		5	–	3		7	–	5
Texas A&M		4	–	4		6	–	6
Oklahoma		3	–	5		3	–	8
Oklahoma State		2	–	6		5	–	6
Baylor		1	–	7		4	–	7
Championship: Texas 37, Nebraska 27
† – Bowl Alliance representative as champion ‡ – Bowl Alliance at-large representative x – Division champion Rankings from AP Poll

1996 Big West Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Nevada +		4	–	1		9	–	3
Utah State +		4	–	1		6	–	5
Idaho		3	–	2		6	–	5
North Texas		3	–	2		5	–	6
Boise State		1	–	4		2	–	10
New Mexico State		0	–	5		1	–	10

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

1996 Conference USA football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Southern Miss +		4	–	1		8	–	3
Houston +		4	–	1		7	–	5
Cincinnati		2	–	3		6	–	5
Louisville		2	–	3		5	–	6
Memphis		2	–	3		4	–	7
Tulane		1	–	4		2	–	9

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

1996 Mid-American Conference football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Ball State $		7	–	1		8	–	4
Toledo		6	–	2		7	–	4
Miami		6	–	2		6	–	5
Ohio		5	–	3		6	–	6
Central Michigan		4	–	4		5	–	6
Akron		3	–	5		4	–	7
Bowling Green		3	–	5		4	–	7
Eastern Michigan		3	–	5		3	–	8
Western Michigan		2	–	6		2	–	9
Kent State		1	–	7		2	–	9

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

1996 Pacific-10 football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#4 Arizona State $		8	–	0		11	–	1
#16 Washington		7	–	1		9	–	3
Stanford		5	–	3		7	–	5
UCLA		4	–	4		5	–	6
Oregon		3	–	5		6	–	5
California		3	–	5		6	–	6
USC		3	–	5		6	–	6
Arizona		3	–	5		5	–	6
Washington State		3	–	5		5	–	6
Oregon State		1	–	7		2	–	9

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

1996 SEC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Eastern Division
#1 Florida x$		8	–	0		12	–	1
#9 Tennessee		7	–	1		10	–	2
South Carolina		4	–	4		6	–	5
Kentucky		3	–	5		4	–	7
Georgia		3	–	5		5	–	6
Vanderbilt		0	–	8		2	–	9
Western Division
#11 Alabama xy		6	–	2		10	–	3
#12 LSU x		6	–	2		10	–	2
#24 Auburn		4	–	4		8	–	4
Mississippi State		3	–	5		5	–	6
Ole Miss		2	–	6		5	–	6
Arkansas		2	–	6		4	–	7
Championship: Florida 45, Alabama 30
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

1996 WAC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
Mountain Division
#5 BYU x$		8	–	0		14	–	1
Utah		6	–	2		8	–	4
Rice		6	–	2		7	–	4
SMU		4	–	4		5	–	6
New Mexico		3	–	5		6	–	5
TCU		3	–	5		4	–	7
Tulsa		2	–	6		4	–	7
UTEP		0	–	8		2	–	9
Pacific Division
#22 Wyoming x		7	–	1		10	–	2
San Diego State		6	–	2		8	–	3
Colorado State		6	–	2		7	–	5
Air Force		5	–	3		6	–	5
Fresno State		3	–	5		4	–	7
San Jose State		3	–	5		3	–	9
Hawaii		1	–	7		2	–	10
UNLV		1	–	8		1	–	11
Championship: BYU 28, Wyoming 25 ^OT
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

1996 Division I-A independents football records
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#25 Army			–			10	–	2
Navy			–			9	–	3
#19 Notre Dame			–			9	–	3
East Carolina			–			8	–	3
Louisiana Tech			–			6	–	5
UAB			–			5	–	6
UCF			–			5	–	6
Southwestern Louisiana			–			5	–	6
Northeast Louisiana			–			5	–	6
Arkansas State			–			4	–	7
Northern Illinois			–			1	–	10

Rankings from AP Poll

Bowl Coalition first and seconds

The Bowl Coalition did not include the Pacific-10 and Big 10 conferences, whose champions played in the Rose Bowl. Thus, Arizona State and Ohio State (who met in the Rose Bowl) were excluded from the Bowl Coalition championship.

WEEKS	First	Conf.	Second	Conf.	Event	Date
PRE-4	Nebraska	Big 12	Tennessee	SEC	Arizona St. 19, Nebraska 0	September 21
5-6	Florida	SEC	Florida State	ACC	Ohio State 38, Penn State 7	October 5
7-14	Florida	SEC	#3 Florida State	ACC	Florida St. 24, Florida 21	November 30
15	Florida State	ACC	#3 Nebraska	Big 12	Texas 37, Nebraska 27	December 7
16	Florida State	ACC	#3 Florida	SEC	Florida 52, Florida State 20	January 1

Bowl games

Main article: 1996–97 NCAA football bowl games


Sugar Bowl	#3 Florida	52	#1 Florida St.	20	1/2/97
Rose Bowl:	#4 Ohio St.	20	#2 Arizona St.	17	1/1/97
Cotton Bowl Classic:	#5 Brigham Young	19	#14 Kansas St.	15	1/1/97
Fiesta Bowl:	#7 Penn State	38	#20 Texas	15	1/1/97
Florida Citrus Bowl:	#9 Tennessee	48	#11 Northwestern	28	1/1/97
Gator Bowl:	#12 North Carolina	20	#25 West Virginia	13	1/1/97
Outback Bowl:	#16 Alabama	17	#15 Michigan	14	1/1/97
Peach Bowl	#17 LSU	10	Clemson	7	1/1/97
Orange Bowl:	#6 Nebraska	41	#10 Virginia Tech	21	12/31/96
Sun Bowl:	Stanford	38	Michigan State	0	12/31/96
Independence Bowl	Auburn	32	Army	29	12/31/96
Holiday Bowl:	#8 Colorado	33	#13 Washington	21	12/30/96
Alamo Bowl:	#21 Iowa	27	Texas Tech	0	12/29/96
Carquest Bowl	#19 Miami (FL)	31	Virginia	21	12/27/96
Liberty Bowl	#23 Syracuse	30	Houston	17	12/27/96
Copper Bowl:	Wisconsin	38	Utah	10	12/27/96
Aloha Bowl	Navy	42	California	38	12/25/96
Las Vegas Bowl	Nevada	18	Ball State	15	12/18/96

Final AP Poll

Others receiving votes: 26. West Virginia; 27. East Carolina; 28. Southern Mississippi; 29. Stanford; 30. Wisconsin; 31. San Diego St.; 32. Virginia; 33. Clemson

Final Coaches Poll

Heisman Trophy voting

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award is given to the Most Outstanding Player of the year
Winner: Danny Wuerffel, Florida, Quarterback (1363 points)

2. Troy Davis, Iowa St., RB (1174 points)
3. Jake Plummer, Arizona St., QB (685 points)
4. Orlando Pace, Ohio St., OT (599 points)
5. Warrick Dunn, Florida St., RB (341 points)

Other major awards

Maxwell Award (College Player of the Year) - Danny Wuerffel, Florida
Walter Camp Award (Player of the Year) - Danny Wuerffel, Florida
Davey O'Brien Award (Quarterback) - Danny Wuerffel, Florida
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (Senior Quarterback) - Danny Wuerffel, Florida
Doak Walker Award (Running Back) - Byron Hanspard, Texas Tech
Fred Biletnikoff Award (Wide Receiver) - Marcus Harris, Wyoming
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Defensive Player) - Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Dick Butkus Award (Linebacker) - Matt Russell, Colorado
Lombardi Award (Lineman or Linebacker) - Orlando Pace, Ohio State
Outland Trophy (Interior Lineman) - Orlando Pace, OT, Ohio State
Jim Thorpe Award (Defensive Back) - Lawrence Wright, Florida
Lou Groza Award (Placekicker) - Tony DeGiovanni, University of Miami, Florida
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award - Bruce Snyder, Arizona St.

References

↑ http://www.jhowell.net/cf/cf1996.htm
↑ http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?appollid=769
↑ DeLassus, David. "Kansas State University football records--1996". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved September 4, 2013.

NCAA football seasons

Pre-regulation	1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905

IAAUS/NCAA	1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955

NCAA University Division/ Division I	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977

NCAA Division I-A/FBS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS	1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

NCAA Division II	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

NCAA Division III	1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

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