1996 Colorado State Rams football team

The 1996 Colorado State Rams football team represented Colorado State University as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Sonny Lubick, the Rams compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the WAC's Mountain Division. Colorado State played home games at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado.

1996 Colorado State Rams football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Division	Pacific Division
Record	7–5 (6–2 WAC)
Head coach	Sonny Lubick (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Dave Lay (6th season)
Defensive coordinator	Larry Kerr (4th season)
Home stadium	Hughes Stadium

1996 Western Athletic Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Mountain Division
No. 5 BYU x$		8	–	0					14	–	1
Utah		6	–	2					8	–	4
Rice		6	–	2					7	–	4
SMU		4	–	4					5	–	6
New Mexico		3	–	5					6	–	5
TCU		3	–	5					4	–	7
Tulsa		2	–	6					4	–	7
UTEP		0	–	8					2	–	9
Pacific Division
No. 22 Wyoming x		7	–	1					10	–	2
San Diego State		6	–	2					8	–	3
Colorado State		6	–	2					7	–	5
Air Force		5	–	3					6	–	5
Fresno State		3	–	5					4	–	7
San Jose State		3	–	5					3	–	9
Hawaii		1	–	7					2	–	10
UNLV		1	–	8					1	–	11
Championship: BYU 28, Wyoming 25 OT
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
August 31	Chattanooga*	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	W 61–19	27,171
September 7	No. 5 Colorado*	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO (Rocky Mountain Showdown)	L 3–48	36,371
September 14	at Oregon*	Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	L 28–35	39,605
September 21	UNLV	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	W 35–16	24,011
September 28	at No. 8 Nebraska*	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	L 9–65	75,575
October 5	at Hawaii	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI	W 28–16	32,010
October 12	at Tulsa	Skelly Stadium Tulsa, OK	L 14–20	24,556
October 19	San Jose State	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	W 36–13	27,041
October 26	San Diego State	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	W 31–24	25,013
November 2	Air Force	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (rivalry)	W 42–41	51,116
November 9	at Fresno State	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA	W 42–20	35,009
November 16	at No. 23 Wyoming	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO (Border War)	L 24–25	33,701
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game