1976 NAIA Division I football season

The 1976 NAIA Division I football season was the 21st season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the seventh season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.

1976 NAIA Division I football season
Regular seasonAugust–November 1976
PostseasonDecember 4–11, 1976
National ChampionshipJavelina Stadium
Kingsville, TX
ChampionsTexas A&I (5)

The season was played from August to November 1976 and culminated in the 1976 NAIA Division I Champion Bowl, played on December 11, 1976 at Javelina Stadium on the campus of Texas A&I University in Kingsville, Texas.[1] Texas A&I defeated Central Arkansas in the Champion Bowl, 26–0, to win their fifth, and third consecutive, NAIA national title.[2]

Conference realignment

Conference changes

Membership changes
Team1975 conference1976 conference
Emporia StateGreat PlainsCentral States
Fort Hays StateGreat PlainsCentral States
Kearney StateNebraska CollegeCentral States
Missouri SouthernIndependentCentral States
Missouri WesternIndependentCentral States
Northern ColoradoGreat Plains (NAIA Division I)Independent (NCAA Division II)
Nebraska–OmahaGreat Plains (NAIA Division I)Independent (NCAA Division II)
Pittsburg StateGreat PlainsCentral States
Southern ColoradoGreat PlainsRocky Mountain
WashburnGreat PlainsCentral States

Conference standings
1976 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Central Arkansas +^ 5 –1 –09 –3 –0
Harding + 5 –1 –07 –5 –0
No. 8 Henderson State 4 –2 –08 –2 –0
No. 16 Southern Arkansas 4 –2 –07 –2 –0
Ouachita Baptist 2 –4 –05 –5 –0
Arkansas–Monticello 1 –5 –02 –8 –0
Arkansas Tech 0 –6 –01 –10 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1976 Central States Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Fort Hays State $ 5 –1 –05 –4 –0
No. 8 Kearney State 4 –1 –09 –1 –0
No. 12 Missouri Southern 4 –1 –08 –2 –0
Washburn 4 –2 –06 –4 –0
Missouri Western 1 –4 –04 –5 –0
Pittsburg State 1 –4 –03 –5 –1
Emporia State 0 –6 –00 –10 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1976 Evergreen Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 Oregon College $ 6 –0 –09 –1 –0
Western Washington 4 –2 –06 –3 –0
Eastern Washington 3 –2 –14 –4 –1
Central Washington 3 –3 –03 –6 –0
Southern Oregon 2 –4 –03 –6 –0
Eastern Oregon 1 –4 –11 –7 –1
Oregon Tech 1 –5 –02 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1976 Lone Star Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Texas A&I $^ 7 –0 –013 –0 –0
No. 6 Abilene Christian 5 –2 –08 –2 –0
East Texas State 4 –3 –05 –3 –1
Southwest Texas State 4 –3 –05 –5 –0
Angelo State 3 –3 –15 –5 –1
Sam Houston State 2 –5 –03 –5 –1
Howard Payne 1 –5 –11 –8 –1
Stephen F. Austin 1 –6 –02 –9 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1976 Nebraska College Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 Kearney State $ 3 –0 –09 –1 –0
Chadron State 1 –2 –04 –6 –0
Peru State 1 –2 –03 –7 –0
Wayne State (NE) 1 –2 –03 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1976 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 10 Minnesota Morris $ 7 –0 –08 –1 –1
Michigan Tech 5 –2 –07 –3 –0
Minnesota Duluth 5 –2 –06 –4 –0
St. Cloud State 4 –3 –08 –3 –0
Bemidji State 3 –4 –06 –4 –0
Moorhead State 3 –4 –05 –5 –0
Winona State 1 –6 –01 –9 –0
Southwest State (MN) 0 –7 –00 –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 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 17 SE Oklahoma State $ 4 –0 –08 –3 –0
No. 20 Northeastern State 3 –1 –06 –3 –1
East Central 1 –2 –16 –3 –2
NW Oklahoma State 1 –2 –14 –5 –1
SW Oklahoma State 0 –4 –04 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1976 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Western State (CO) $^ 9 –0 –09 –2 –0
No. 14 Fort Lewis 7 –2 –07 –2 –0
Southern Colorado 5 –2 –06 –4 –1
Southern Utah 4 –5 –05 –5 –0
Colorado Mines 3 –4 –05 –4 –0
Mesa 3 –5 –04 –5 –1
Westminster (UT) 3 –5 –04 –5 –0
Western New Mexico 3 –5 –03 –7 –0
Adams State 3 –6 –03 –6 –0
New Mexico Highlands 1 –7 –01 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1976 South Atlantic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Elon $^ 7 –0 –011 –1 –0
Catawba 5 –2 –08 –3 –0
Newberry 4 –3 –05 –5 –0
Mars Hill 3 –3 –14 –4 –1
Gardner–Webb 3 –4 –05 –5 –0
Carson–Newman 3 –4 –03 –7 –0
Presbyterian 2 –5 –03 –7 –0
Lenoir–Rhyne 0 –6 –10 –10 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1976 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Northern Division
No. 5 Shepherd xy 4 –0 –010 –2 –0
No. 11 Salem 3 –1 –08 –1 –1
West Liberty State 2 –2 –05 –5 –0
Fairmont State 1 –3 –04 –6 –0
West Virginia Wesleyan 0 –4 –02 –8 –0
Southern Division
No. T–19 Concord xy$ 4 –0 –08 –3 –0
West Virginia State 2 –2 –04 –4 –1
Bluefield State 2 –2 –04 –6 –0
West Virginia Tech 1 –3 –02 –7 –0
Glenville State 1 –3 –03 –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 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 15 Wisconsin–Oshkosh + 6 –2 –08 –2 –0
No. 13 Wisconsin–Platteville + 6 –2 –08 –2 –0
Wisconsin–River Falls + 6 –2 –07 –3 –0
Wisconsin–La Crosse 5 –3 –07 –3 –0
Wisconsin–Stevens Point 5 –3 –07 –3 –0
Wisconsin–Eau Claire 4 –4 –05 –5 –0
Wisconsin–Stout 2 –6 –03 –6 –0
Wisconsin–Whitewater 2 –6 –02 –9 –0
Wisconsin–Superior 0 –8 –00 –10 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1976 NAIA Division I independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 18 Eastern New Mexico   –  7 –3 –1
Liberty Baptist   –  5 –4 –1
Langston   –  4 –4 –1
Guilford   –  4 –6 –0
Cameron   –  4 –7 –0
Wofford   –  4 –7 –0
Kentucky State   –  3 –7 –1
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

Postseason
Semifinals
December 4, 1976 		1976 NAIA Champion Bowl
December 11, 1976
Kingsville, TX
      
Central Arkansas 10
Elon* 7
Central Arkansas 0
Texas A&I* 26
Western State (CO) 14
Texas A&I* 56

See also

References
  1. "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). NAIA. pp. 4–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  2. "1975 Division I NAIA Football Playoffs". JonFMorse.com. Retrieved November 21, 2015.


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