1996 NAIA Division II football season

The 1996 NAIA Division II football season, as part of the 1996 college football season in the United States and the 41st season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 27th (and final) season of play of the NAIA division II for football.

1996 NAIA Division II football season
Regular season	August–November 1996
Postseason	November–December 1996
National Championship	Jim Carroll Stadium Savannah, Tennessee
Champions	Sioux Falls

The season was played from August to November 1996 and culminated in the 1996 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played at Jim Carroll Stadium in Savannah, Tennessee.

Sioux Falls defeated Western Washington in the championship game, 47–25, to win their first NAIA national title.

Conference changes

Conference changes

• This is the final season the NAIA officially recognizes a football champion from the Northwest Conference. The NWC, and its six members from Oregon and Washington, would subsequently join the NCAA as a Division III conference.
• The South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference was renamed as the South Dakota-Iowa Intercollegiate Conference after the addition of two football programs from Iowa, Westmar University and Dordt College. This was the first time since the founding of the SDIC in 1917 that it admitted members outside of South Dakota.

Membership changes

Team	1995 conference	1996 conference
Lewis & Clark	Columbia (Mount Hood)	Northwest
Linfield	Columbia (Mount Hood)	Northwest
Pacific Lutheran	Columbia (Mount Hood)	Northwest
Puget Sound	Columbia (Mount Hood)	Northwest
Willamette	Columbia (Mount Hood)	Northwest
Whitworth	Columbia (Mount Hood)	Northwest

Conference standings

1996 American Southwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 11 Hardin–Simmons +^   3 – 1     8 – 2   Sul Ross +   3 – 1     6 – 4   No. 19 Howard Payne   2 – 2     8 – 2   Austin   1 – 3     3 – 7   McMurry   1 – 3     3 – 7   Mississippi College *   0 – 0     4 – 6   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant * – Ineligible for conference title Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1996 Columbia Football Association standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Western Washington $^   4 – 1     11 – 2   Simon Fraser   3 – 2     6 – 4   Central Washington   3 – 2     5 – 5   Eastern Oregon   2 – 3     6 – 4   Western Oregon   2 – 3     3 – 7   Southern Oregon   1 – 4     4 – 6   $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1996 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 5 Evangel $^   9 – 0     10 – 1   No. 15 Benedictine (KS) ^   7 – 2     8 – 3   No. T–24 Graceland   7 – 2     7 – 3   No. 22 Baker   7 – 2     7 – 4   Culver–Stockton   4 – 5     5 – 5   MidAmerica Nazarene   4 – 5     5 – 5   Lindenwood   3 – 6     4 – 6   William Jewell   2 – 7     3 – 7   Central Methodist   1 – 8     2 – 8   Missouri Valley   1 – 8     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1996 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 8 Bethany (KS) $^   8 – 0     8 – 2   Bethel (KS)   7 – 1     7 – 3   No. 23 Southwestern (KS)   6 – 2     7 – 3   Friends   5 – 3     5 – 5   McPherson   4 – 4     5 – 5   Kansas Wesleyan   3 – 5     3 – 7   Sterling   2 – 6     2 – 8   Ottawa   1 – 7     1 – 8   Tabor   0 – 8     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1996 Mid-South Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 3 Lambuth $^   7 – 0     9 – 2   No. 18 Cumberland (TN)   6 – 1     8 – 2   Campbellsville   4 – 3     6 – 4   North Greenville   3 – 4     6 – 4   Georgetown (KY)   3 – 4     4 – 5   Union (KY)   3 – 4     4 – 6   Cumberland (KY)   1 – 6     2 – 7   Bethel (TN)   1 – 6     2 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1996 Mid-States Football Association standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Mideast League No. 13 Malone x   5 – 1     8 – 2   No. 9 Westminster (PA) x^   5 – 1     9 – 3   No. 10 Geneva x^   5 – 1     7 – 3   Walsh   3 – 3     6 – 5   Tiffin   2 – 4     2 – 8   Tri-State   1 – 5     4 – 6   Urbana   0 – 6     1 – 9   Midwest League No. 1 Findlay x^   6 – 0     12 – 1   No. 17 St. Ambrose   5 – 1     9 – 1   Olivet Nazarene   3 – 3     6 – 4   Iowa Wesleyan   3 – 3     5 – 6   Trinity International   3 – 3     3 – 7   Saint Xavier   1 – 5     2 – 8   Taylor   0 – 6     1 – 9   x – League champion/co-champions ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1996 Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 12 Northwestern (IA) $^   5 – 1     10 – 2   Doane   4 – 2     6 – 3   Hastings   4 – 2     6 – 4   Midland   4 – 2     5 – 5   Dana   3 – 3     4 – 5   Nebraska Wesleyan   1 – 5     2 – 8   Concordia (NE)   0 – 6     2 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1996 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Valley City State +^   5 – 1     9 – 2   No. 20 Mary +^   5 – 1     7 – 4   Minot State   4 – 2     6 – 3   Minnesota–Crookston   3 – 3     6 – 4   Dickinson State   3 – 3     5 – 4   Jamestown   1 – 5     1 – 8   Mayville State   0 – 6     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1996 Northwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 7 Willamette $^   5 – 0     9 – 2   No. 15 Pacific Lutheran ^   4 – 1     7 – 3   Linfield   3 – 2     5 – 4   Lewis & Clark   2 – 3     4 – 6   Whitworth   1 – 4     1 – 8   Puget Sound   0 – 5     0 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1996 South Dakota-Iowa Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Sioux Falls $^   6 – 0     14 – 0   Westmar   5 – 1     7 – 3   Dakota Wesleyan   3 – 3     5 – 5   Black Hills State   3 – 3     4 – 6   Huron   2 – 4     5 – 5   Dakota State   1 – 5     2 – 7   South Dakota Tech   1 – 5     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll	1996 NAIA Division II independents football records Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 4 Clinch Valley ^   –     10 – 1   No. 21 Azusa Pacific   –     7 – 3   No. T–24 Peru State   –     7 – 3   McKendree   –     3 – 5   Sue Bennett   –     0 – 11   ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll

Conference champions

Conference	Champion	Record
Columbia	Western Washington	4–1
Heart of America	Evangel	9–0
Kansas	Bethany	8–0
Mid-South	Lambuth	7–0
Mid-States	Mideast Division: Geneva, Malone, and Westminster (PA) Midwest Division: Findlay	5–1 6–0
Nebraska-Iowa	Northwestern (IA)	5–1
North Dakota	Valley City State Mary	5–1
Northwest	Willamette	5–0
South Dakota-Iowa	Sioux Falls	6–0

Postseason

1996 Division II NAIA Football Championship

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total Western Washington 6 7 0 12 25 Sioux Falls (SD) 7 20 14 6 47
Date	December 21, 1996
Stadium	Jim Carroll Stadium
City	Savannah, Tennessee
MOP (Offense)	Kurtis Riggs, Sioux Falls
MOP (Defense)	Travis Dumke, Sioux Falls
Attendance	4,000
NAIA Football National Championship < 1995 1997 >

The 1996 NAIA Division II Football Championship Series concluded on December 21, 1996, with the championship game played at Jim Carroll Stadium in Savannah, Tennessee. The game was won by the Sioux Falls Cougars over the Western Washington Vikings by a score of 47–25.

Bracket

	1st Round					Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Championship
	Bethany (KS)		35
	Willamette		56
						Willamette		12
						Western Washington		13
	Pacific Lutheran		20
	Western Washington		21*
											Western Washington		28
											Findlay		21
	Westminster (PA)		27
	Clinch Valley		20
						Westminster (PA)		9
						Findlay (OH)		28
	Geneva		13
	Findlay		38
																Western Washington		25
																Sioux Falls		47
	Valley City State		7
	Northwestern (IA)		14
						Sioux Falls		52
						Northwestern (IA)		21
	Sioux Falls		56
	Mary		19
											Sioux Falls		28
											Evangel		21
	Hardin–Simmons		23
	Evangel		45
						Evangel		28
						Lambuth		27
	Benedictine (KS)		20
	Lambuth		34

•  * denotes OT.

See also

• 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season
• 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season
• 1996 NCAA Division II football season
• 1996 NCAA Division III football season