# 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.
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. Texas A&I defeated Central Arkansas in the Champion Bowl, 26–0, to win their fifth, and third consecutive, NAIA national title.

## Conference realignment
### Conference changes

* This was the first season of play for the Central States Intercollegiate Conference. The conference, whose eight members were located in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, was formed by two independent teams and six former members of the Great Plains Athletic and Nebraska College conferences.
* This was the final season of play for the Nebraska College Conference. The NCC, which had also been previously known as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Conference and Nebraska College Athletic Conference, had previously sponsored football since 1916.

### Membership changes

| Team | 1975 conference | 1976 conference |
| Emporia State | Great Plains | Central States |
| Fort Hays State | Great Plains | Central States |
| Kearney State | Nebraska College | Central States |
| Missouri Southern | Independent | Central States |
| Missouri Western | Independent | Central States |
| Northern Colorado | Great Plains (NAIA Division I) | Independent (NCAA Division II) |
| Nebraska–Omaha | Great Plains (NAIA Division I) | Independent (NCAA Division II) |
| Pittsburg State | Great Plains | Central States |
| Southern Colorado | Great Plains | Rocky Mountain |
| Washburn | Great Plains | Central States |

## Conference standings

1976 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings :
| 1976 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1976 Central States Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall 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 championRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1976 Evergreen Conference football standings vteConf.Overall 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 championRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1976 Lone Star Conference football standings vteConf.Overall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1976 Nebraska College Conference football standings vteConf.Overall 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 championRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1976 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConf.Overall 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 championSt. 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 vteConf.Overall 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 championRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1976 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1976 South Atlantic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall 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 participantRankings from NAIA Division I poll |
| 1976 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall 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 championConference standings based on power ratingsRankings from NAIA Division I poll for Salem and Shepherd and NAIA Division II poll for Concord | 1976 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings vteConf.Overall 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-championsRankings from NAIA Division I poll | 1976 NAIA Division I independents football records vteConf.Overall 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 | Semifinals December 4, 1976 | Semifinals December 4, 1976 | 1976 NAIA Champion Bowl December 11, 1976 Kingsville, TX | 1976 NAIA Champion Bowl December 11, 1976 Kingsville, TX | 1976 NAIA Champion Bowl December 11, 1976 Kingsville, TX |
| Central Arkansas | Central Arkansas | 10 | | | |
| Elon* | Elon* | 7 | | | |
| Elon* | Elon* | 7 | Central Arkansas | Central Arkansas | 0 |
| | | | Texas A&I* | Texas A&I* | 26 |
| Western State (CO) | Western State (CO) | 14 | Texas A&I* | Texas A&I* | 26 |
| Texas A&I* | Texas A&I* | 56 | | | |