1976 NCAA Division II football season

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.[1][2][3]

Conference changes and new programs

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

Conference standings

1976 Big Sky football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
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
  • ^ Division II playoff participant
  • Montana State won Div. II championship.
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 3 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
  • ^ Division II playoff participant

Conference summaries

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
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
South Atlantic Conference – Elon
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Division II) – Bethune-Cookman
Yankee Conference – New Hampshire

Postseason

1976 NCAA Division II National
Football Championship playoffs
Teams 8
Finals Site Memorial Stadium
Wichita Falls, TX
Champions Montana State (1st title)
Runner-Up Akron (1st championship game)
Semifinalists Northern Michigan
North Dakota State
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* 26
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

References

  1. "1976 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 13. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  2. "Montana State wins title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 12, 1976. p. 4B.
  3. "Dennehy leads Montana State's bowl win". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 12, 1976. p. D1.
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