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
Conference summaries
Conference ChampionsBig 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
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
* 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
References