# 1976 NAIA Division II football season

The 1976 NAIA Division II football season was the 21st season of college football sponsored by the NAIA and the seventh season of play of the NAIA's lower division for football.
The season was played from August to November 1976 and culminated in the 1976 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played on the campus of the University of Redlands in Redlands, California.
The Westminster Titans defeated the Redlands Bulldogs in the championship game, 20–13, to win their second NAIA national title.

## Conference standings

1976 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings :
| 1976 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Carroll (WI) $^ 7 –0 –18 –1 –1 Augustana (IL) ^ 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 No. 13 Illinois Wesleyan 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 Wheaton (IL) 5 –3 –06 –3 –0 North Central (IL) 4 –3 –15 –3 –1 Millikin 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 Carthage 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Elmhurst 1 –7 –02 –7 –0 North Park 0 –8 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 1976 Frontier Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 12 Carroll (MT) $ 4 –0 –07 –1 –0 Western Montana 2 –2 –03 –5 –0 Rocky Mountain 2 –2 –02 –6 –0 Eastern Montana 1 –3 –03 –6 –0 Montana Tech 1 –3 –01 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1976 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 15 Northwood $ 4 –1 –05 –2 –1 No. 7 Grand Valley State 3 –2 –08 –2 –0 Wayne State (MI) 3 –2 –06 –2 –0 Ferris State 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 Hillsdale 2 –3 –05 –5 –0 Saginaw Valley State 0 –5 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1976 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Missouri Valley $ 5 –0 –18 –1 –1 No. 17 Graceland 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Ottawa 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 William Jewell 3 –3 –03 –6 –0 Central Methodist 3 –3 –03 –7 –0 Tarkio 2 –4 –05 –5 –0 Baker 0 –5 –12 –7 –1 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1976 Hoosier–Buckeye Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Defiance + 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 Findlay + 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 Hanover + 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 Wilmington (OH) 5 –2 –15 –3 –1 Taylor 4 –4 –05 –4 –0 Manchester (IN) 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 Anderson (IN) 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Bluffton 1 –7 –01 –8 –0 Earlham 0 –7 –11 –7 –1 + – Conference co-champions | 1976 Illini–Badger Football Conference standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 14 Milton $ 4 –0 –07 –2 –0 Eureka 3 –1 –06 –3 –0 Northeastern Illinois 2 –2 –03 –6 –0 Concordia (IL) 1 –3 –02 –6 –1 Lakeland 0 –4 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1976 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Friends $ 8 –0 –08 –1 –0 Sterling 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 Bethany (KS) 5 –3 –06 –4 –0 Bethel (KS) 5 –3 –05 –4 –0 McPherson 4 –4 –04 –5 –0 Southwestern (KS) 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 St. Mary of the Plains 3 –5 –03 –6 –0 Kansas Wesleyan 2 –6 –03 –7 –0 Tabor 0 –8 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1976 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Saint John's (MN) $^ 7 –0 –010 –0 –1 St. Olaf 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 St. Thomas (MN) 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Concordia–Moorhead 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Gustavus Adolphus 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Hamline 2 –5 –04 –5 –0 Augsburg 1 –6 –01 –8 –0 Macalester 0 –7 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantSt. Thomas (MN) received a non-conference forfeit win from St. Cloud State. | 1976 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Midland + 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 Hastings + 4 –1 –07 –3 –0 Nebraska Wesleyan + 4 –1 –06 –3 –0 Doane 2 –3 –05 –5 –0 Dana 1 –4 –03 –5 –0 Concordia (NE) 0 –5 –01 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions |
| 1976 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Valley City State $^ 6 –0 –08 –2 –0 Minot State 5 –1 –06 –3 –0 Jamestown 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Mayville State 3 –3 –03 –5 –0 Dickinson State 2 –4 –04 –4 –1 Wahpeton Science 1 –5 –04 –5 –0 Bismarck JC 0 –6 –01 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1976 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Linfield $ 6 –1 –07 –3 –0 Lewis & Clark 5 –2 –07 –2 –0 Pacific Lutheran 6 –2 –06 –3 –0 Willamette 4 –2 –14 –4 –1 Whitworth 4 –3 –06 –3 –0 Pacific (OR) 2 –5 –02 –7 –0 Whitman 1 –6 –03 –6 –0 College of Idaho 0 –6 –11 –7 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1976 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 Dakota State + 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 No. 10 Dakota Wesleyan + 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 Black Hills State 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 South Dakota Tech 2 –3 –04 –4 –1 Huron 1 –3 –14 –5 –1 South Dakota–Springfield 0 –4 –11 –7 –1 + – Conference co-championsRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1976 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Redlands $^ 5 –0 –010 –2 –0 Occidental 3 –2 –05 –3 –0 La Verne 3 –2 –05 –4 –0 Whittier 2 –3 –06 –4 –0 Claremont-Mudd 2 –3 –02 –6 –0 Pomona-Pitzer 0 –5 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1976 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Trinity (TX) $ 4 –0 –06 –5 –0 Sul Ross 3 –1 –07 –2 –0 McMurry 1 –3 –03 –8 –0 Tarleton State 1 –3 –02 –7 –0 Austin 0 –4 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1976 Tri-State Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northwestern (IA) $ 4 –0 –05 –5 –0 Bethel (MN) 3 –1 –07 –2 –0 Yankton 2 –2 –00 –6 –4 Sioux Falls 1 –3 –01 –8 –0 Westmar 0 –4 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1976 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall 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 NAIA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Texas Lutheran ^   –  10 –1 –0 No. 1 Westminster (PA) ^   –  10 –1 –0 No. 4 Cal Lutheran   –  9 –1 –0 No. 11 Georgetown (KY)   –  7 –2 –1 Franklin (IN)   –  6 –3 –0 No. 18 Waynesburg   –  6 –3 –0 No. T–19 Benedictine (KS)   –  7 –4 –0 Simon Fraser   –  5 –5 –0 Azusa Pacific   –  4 –5 –0 Iowa Wesleyan   –  2 –7 –0 Oklahoma Panhandle State   –  2 –8 –0 Geneva   –  1 –8 –0 ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |

## Postseason

| Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship Redlands, CA | Championship Redlands, CA |
| Westminster (PA) | 31 | | |
| Texas Lutheran* | 0 | | |
| Texas Lutheran* | 0 | Westminster (PA) | 20 |
| | | Redlands* | 13 |
| Valley City State | 39 | Redlands* | 13 |
| Redlands* (OT) | 40 | | |