# 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.
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 :
| 1996 American Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall 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 titleRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1996 Columbia Football Association standings vteConfOverall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1996 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1996 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1996 Mid-South Conference football standings vteConfOverall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1996 Mid-States Football Association standings vteConfOverall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1996 Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1996 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1996 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1996 South Dakota-Iowa Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1996 NAIA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall 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 participantRankings 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

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