2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season

2016 NCAA Division I FBS season
Number of teams	128
Duration	August 26, 2016 – December 10, 2016
Preseason AP #1	Alabama Crimson Tide
Post-season
Duration	December 17, 2016 – January 9, 2017 (excluding all-star games)
Bowl games	TBD
AP Poll #1	TBD
Coaches Poll #1	TBD
Heisman Trophy	TBD
College Football Playoff
2017 College Football Playoff National Championship
Site	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida
Winner	TBD
Division I FBS football seasons
← 2015

The 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, play of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, began on August 26, 2016, with the regular season ending December 10, 2016, and (not including all-star games) will conclude on January 9, 2017 with the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship. This is the third season of the four-team College Football Playoff tournament system.

Rule changes

The following rule changes were voted on by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2016 season:^[1]

• Requiring replay officials to review all aspects of targeting penalties, including the option to call a targeting foul missed by the on-field officials if the foul is deemed egregious. After several hits during the early part of the season that resulted in concussions that should have been targeting, the NCAA Rules Committee reinforced this rule for replay officials and also clarified the "crown of the helmet" (to determine targeting penalties) as the area above the facemask to the dome of the helmet.^[2]
• Allowing electronic devices to be used for coaching purposes in the press box and locker room during the game. Electronic devices will still be prohibited on the field and sideline.
• Coaches can now be ejected after receiving two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in one game, the same as players.
• A ball carrier who "gives himself up" (ex. by sliding) will now be considered a defenseless player.
• Deliberate tripping of a ball carrier with the leg is now a penalty (15 yards for tripping).
• Players who leave the tackle box are now prohibited from blocking below the waist toward the initial position of the ball.
• An exception to a rule introduced for the 2015 season regarding low hits to passers (i.e., at or below the knee) was eliminated. Last season, a defensive player would not have been penalized for such a hit if making a bona fide attempt at a tackle, but will now be penalized in the same situation.
• Teams attempting a scrimmage kick (field goals/PATs/punts) must have five offensive linemen (numbered 50-79) on the scrimmage line unless the kicking team has at least two players seven yards OR one player at least 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Previously only one player had to be lined up seven yards behind the line to avoid using five linemen, causing confusion in kick coverage on defense.
• The procedure for restarting the game clock following a penalty by the offense will change if the penalized team has a lead in the last two minutes of either half. Before this season, the game clock would have been restarted in this situation once the ball was declared ready for play; it now will not start until the ball is snapped.

The committee, once again, took no action on changing the ineligible receiver downfield rule from three yards to one yard; however it will once again be a "point of emphasis" and will adjust officiating mechanics to better officiate those plays.

Conference realignment

Membership changes

School	Former conference	New conference
UMass Minutemen	MAC	FBS Independent

Although Coastal Carolina is beginning an FBS transition in the 2016 season and joining the Sun Belt Conference in non-football sports, it will be officially classified as an FCS independent for the first season of the transition. Coastal Carolina will not become a provisional FBS member until the football team joins the Sun Belt in 2017. Full FBS membership and bowl eligibility will follow in 2018.^[3]

Other headlines

• March 1 – The Sun Belt Conference announces that its football-only membership agreements with Idaho and New Mexico State will not be renewed when they expire at the end of the 2017 season.^[4]
• April 8 – The NCAA Division I Council votes to prohibit FBS schools from participating in or conducting so-called "satellite camps." The NCAA had already prohibited schools from hosting camps located more than 50 miles (80 km) from campus, but many coaches took advantage of a loophole that allowed them to participate in off-site camps as guest coaches.^[5] The new rule was reversed on April 28.^[6]
• April 11 – The Division I Council approves a three-year moratorium on new bowl games, following a season in which a record three teams with sub-.500 records made bowls. No new bowls will be allowed until the 2019 season. This decision affects three games that were in the process of seeking NCAA certification for the 2016 season.^[7]
• April 28
  • The University of Idaho announces that the Vandals football team will return to the FCS Big Sky Conference, its all-sports league, effective with the 2018 season.^[8] The Vandals will become the first team ever to voluntarily drop from FBS to FCS.^[9]
  • The Division I Board of Directors rescinds the FBS satellite camp ban that had been approved less than three weeks earlier. The ban had sparked major controversy within several conferences, notably the Pac-12 (whose Division I Council representative voted for the ban despite 11 of the league's 12 members opposing it). Additionally, the ban was seen as having the unintended effect of limiting scholarship opportunities, especially at Group of Five schools, for a large number of high school prospects.^[10][11]
• September 3–5 – In the first full weekend of the season, seven teams ranked in the AP Poll lose, the most in an opening week since the debut of the AP preseason poll in 1950.^[12] The seven ranked losers included two top-five teams; the last time two such teams had lost in the season's first week was 1972.^[13] The weekend also saw seven SEC teams lose their season openers; this had not happened since the league returned to 12 teams with the 1992 arrival of Arkansas and South Carolina.^{[n 1][12]}
• September 10:
  • In a finish noted for its improbability, Central Michigan defeats Oklahoma State 30–27 on a Hail Mary pass followed by a lateral on the game's final play. Shortly afterwards, the game officials, as well as the conferences of the participating teams (respectively the MAC and Big 12), announced that Central Michigan should not have been allowed to run the winning play. On the previous play, during which the clock had run out, Oklahoma State had been called for intentional grounding on fourth down. Under NCAA rules, a game cannot end on an accepted live ball foul; however, an exception to that rule states that if the penalty includes a loss of down—which is the case for intentional grounding—the game ends at that point.^[14]
  • Arizona State running back Kalen Ballage scores 8 touchdowns in the Sun Devils' 68–55 win over Texas Tech, tying an NCAA record set in 1990 by Howard Griffith of Illinois against Southern Illinois.^[15]
• October 22 – The Oklahoma–Texas Tech game, won 66–59 by Oklahoma, sees several FBS single-game records broken or equaled:^[16]
  • The teams combine for 1,708 yards of total offense (854 each), surpassing the previous FBS record of 1,640 set by San Jose State and Nevada in 2001.
  • Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes' 819 yards of total offense breaks the previous FBS record of 751 set in 2014 by Connor Halliday of Washington State. Mahomes also ties Halliday's FBS record of 734 passing yards.
  • Oklahoma becomes the first FBS team ever with a 500-yard passer (Baker Mayfield), 200-yard rusher (Joe Mixon), and 200-yard receiver (Dede Westbrook) in a single game.
• November 9 – Georgia State University receives final approval from the Georgia Board of Regents, the governing body of the state's university system, to purchase Turner Field, vacated by the Atlanta Braves after their 2016 season. The facility, originally the main stadium of the 1996 Olympics, will be converted to a football stadium seating 23,000, with potential future expansion to 33,000.^[17] The football team is expected to begin play at Turner Field, now tentatively renamed Georgia State Stadium, in 2017 while the conversion project is ongoing.^[18]
• November 26 – Pittsburgh defeats Syracuse 76–61, with the two teams setting a new FBS record for combined points scored in a regulation game. The previous record had been set by Navy and North Texas in 2007.^[19]

Kickoff games

• California and Hawaii played the first game of the 2016 season at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia on August 27.^{[n 2]} This was the first college football game in Oceania since 1985.^[20] California eased to a 51–31 win.^[21]
• Boston College and Georgia Tech played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland on September 3, in a game billed as the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Georgia Tech scored a touchdown in the last minute to win 17–14.^[22]
• Wisconsin hosted LSU at the first-ever Division I FBS game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, also on September 3. The Badgers surprised the #5 Tigers 16–14. AP reporter Genaro Armas wrote that the loss, the first in a season opener for Les Miles in his 12 seasons at LSU, "will surely put Miles back on the hot seat after he was nearly run out of Baton Rouge after a 9–3 season in 2015."^[23]
• Houston met Oklahoma at NRG Stadium in Houston on September 3 in the Texas Kickoff, a game with major College Football Playoff significance as a virtual elimination game for Houston as a CFP contender. The Cougars are members of the "Group of Five" American Athletic Conference, but were coming off a convincing win over Florida State in last season's Peach Bowl. The game was also played against the backdrop of potential Big 12 Conference expansion, with Houston seen by many in the media as a leading Big 12 candidate. The Cougars won 33–23.^[24]
• North Carolina and Georgia played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia on September 3, in the annual Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Both teams entered the contest 0–1 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, with North Carolina losing to LSU in 2010 and Georgia falling to Boise State in 2011. In the debut for Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs won 33–24, led by Nick Chubb, who ran for 222 yards and two touchdowns in his first game since tearing an ACL last season.^[25]
• USC and Alabama played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on September 3 in the Advocare Classic. Defending national champions Alabama blasted the Trojans 52–6, marking USC's worst loss since a 51–0 blowout by Notre Dame in 1966.^[26]
• Arizona and BYU played week 1 of the season at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on September 3 in the Cactus Kickoff. BYU won 18–16 on a field goal with 4 seconds left.^[27]
• Ole Miss and Florida State played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on September 5 in the Camping World Kickoff. Florida State, facing a 28–6 second-quarter deficit, scored 33 unanswered points and went on to win 45–34.^[28]
• Virginia Tech and Tennessee played at Bristol Motor Speedway near Bristol, Tennessee on September 10 in a game billed as the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol. The game drew an announced crowd of 156,990, breaking the previous record for a college football game by more than 40,000. After trailing 14–0 at the end of the first quarter, Tennessee scored 31 unanswered points en route to a 45–24 win.^[29]

Upsets

An unranked team has defeated a ranked team several times over the course of the regular season. This list does not include upsets between two unranked teams, but does include FCS upsets involving ranked and unranked teams, five of which came against schools in one of the Power Five conferences. FBS rankings prior to November 1 are from the AP Poll, and from the College Football Playoff rankings after that date. FCS rankings are from the STATS poll. All rankings are current at the time of the game.

Winner	Score	Loser	Date
Albany (FCS)	22–16	Buffalo	September 2
Wisconsin	16–14	#5 LSU	September 3
Texas A&M	31–24 OT	#16 UCLA	September 3
#4 Richmond (FCS)	37–20	Virginia	September 3
#5 Northern Iowa (FCS)	25–20	Iowa State	September 3
#14 Eastern Washington (FCS)	45–42	Washington State	September 3
Texas	50–47 2OT	#10 Notre Dame	September 4
Arkansas	41–38 2OT	#15 TCU	September 10
Central Michigan	30–27	#22 Oklahoma State	September 10
#10 Illinois State (FCS)	9–7	Northwestern	September 10
Eastern Illinois (FCS)	21–17	Miami (OH)	September 10
#23 North Carolina A&T (FCS)	39–36 4OT	Kent State	September 10
California	50–43	#11 Texas	September 17
#1 North Dakota State (FCS)	23–21	#13 Iowa	September 17
Nebraska	35–32	#22 Oregon	September 17
Auburn	18–13	#18 LSU	September 24
#13 Western Illinois (FCS)	28–23	Northern Illinois	September 24
Central Arkansas (FCS)	28–23	Arkansas State	September 24
North Carolina	37–35	#12 Florida State	October 1
Indiana	24–21 OT	#17 Michigan State	October 1
California	28–23	#18 Utah	October 1
South Alabama	42–24	#19 San Diego State	October 1
Oklahoma	52–46	#21 TCU	October 1
Oklahoma State	49–31	#22 Texas	October 1
Navy	46–40	#6 Houston	October 8
USC	21–17	#21 Colorado	October 8
Washington State	42–16	#15 Stanford	October 8
North Carolina	20–13	#16 Miami (FL)	October 15
Syracuse	31–17	#17 Virginia Tech	October 15
SMU	38–16	#11 Houston	October 22
Penn State	24–21	#2 Ohio State	October 22
USF	52–45	#22 Navy	October 28
Oklahoma State	37–20	#10 West Virginia	October 29
Texas	35–34	#8 Baylor	October 29
Wyoming	30–28	#13 Boise State	October 29
South Carolina	24–21	#18 Tennessee	October 29
Mississippi State	35–28	#4 Texas A&M	November 5
Arkansas	31–10	#11 Florida	November 5
TCU	62–22	#17 Baylor	November 5
Duke	28–27	#17 North Carolina	November 10
Georgia Tech	30–20	#14 Virginia Tech	November 12
Georgia	13–7	#9 Auburn	November 12
Ole Miss	29–28	#8 Texas A&M	November 12
Pittsburgh	43–42	#2 Clemson	November 12
#20 USC	26–13	#4 Washington	November 12
Iowa	14–13	#3 Michigan	November 12
Houston	36–10	#5 Louisville	November 17
Oregon	30–28	#12 Utah	November 19
Memphis	48–44	#20 Houston	November 25
Air Force	27–20	#19 Boise State	November 25
Iowa	40–10	#16 Nebraska	November 25
Kentucky	41–38	#11 Louisville	November 26

Updated stadiums

• Miami (FL) debuted major renovations to the renamed Hard Rock Stadium. In a project that began after the Hurricanes and the stadium's owner, the Miami Dolphins, completed their 2014 seasons, a canopy was added over the main seating areas, video boards were placed in each corner, many luxury suites and club seats were added, and the stadium's lower bowl was reconstructed, eliminating an obsolete movable stand that had been added in the early 1990s to accommodate Major League Baseball's Florida (now Miami) Marlins. The capacity was reduced from over 75,000 to slightly over 65,000.
• Utah State made major renovations to Maverik Stadium, adding a new complex to the west side featuring expanded concourses, luxury suites, and a new press box.^[30]
• Oklahoma is currently undertaking a $160 million renovation of the south end zone of Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The renovation which will bowl in the end zone includes 22 enclosed suites, 60 loge boxes and nearly 2,000 club seats.^[31] The new end zone when completed will be topped by a new state of the art 7,806 square feet scoreboard.^[32] The official capacity increased to 83,489 (from 82,112).
• Ole Miss debuted phase 2 of the latest renovations and expansion of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The 2016 season saw the opening of new seating bowls in the north end zone, bringing capacity to 64,038.
• Florida State unveiled The Champions Club, a new club seat section constructed for Doak Campbell Stadium. The exclusive 6,000-seat club seat section, with more than 70,000 square feet of air conditioned club space and 34,000 square feet of covered rooftop terraces, was built in the south end zone across from the Unconquered Statue.
• Arizona State is undertaking a four-year renovation of Sun Devil Stadium. For the 2016 season, upper deck seats will be removed and the lower bowl on the West sideline and North end zone will be redone. Renovations are expected to be complete by the start of the 2017 season, which will include the addition of a new video board above the north end zone.
• West Virginia is in the midst of approximately $50 million in renovations to Milan Puskar Stadium. For this season, the old turf and goalposts were replaced, and the crown under the field was removed and a modern base and drainage system installed that is more in keeping with today's infilled artificial turf systems. Also, work on the east and north side gates and concourses, including renovations to concessions, restrooms, and additional space for EMS and police operations, was completed for the 2016 season. Similar work on the west and south sides of the stadium is ongoing and expected to be completed for 2017.

In addition to the stadium updates above, two schools are playing their final season in their current venues:

• Colorado State is replacing Hughes Stadium, owned by the university but located about 4 miles (6 km) west of the main campus, with a new on-campus venue tentatively known as Colorado State Stadium. The new stadium is set to open for the 2017 season.
• Georgia State played its final season in the Georgia Dome, as the stadium is scheduled to be demolished once its replacement, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, opens in June 2017. As noted above, Georgia State has purchased Turner Field with the intent of renovating the stadium for football, and the Panthers now expect to play their 2017 home schedule at that venue.

Conference standings

2016 American Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division No. 23 Temple xy$   7 – 1         10 – 3   No. 25 South Florida x   7 – 1         10 – 2   UCF   4 – 4         6 – 6   Cincinnati   1 – 7         4 – 8   Connecticut   1 – 7         3 – 9   East Carolina   1 – 7         3 – 9   West Division Navy xy   7 – 1         9 – 3   Tulsa   6 – 2         9 – 3   Memphis   5 – 3         8 – 4   Houston   5 – 3         9 – 3   SMU   3 – 5         5 – 7   Tulane   1 – 7         4 – 8   Championship: Temple 34, Navy 10 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of December 4, 2016; Rankings from AP Poll	2016 ACC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Atlantic Division No. 3 Clemson xy$   7 – 1         12 – 1   No. 15 Louisville x   7 – 1         9 – 3   No. 10 Florida State   5 – 3         9 – 3   NC State   3 – 5         6 – 6   Wake Forest   3 – 5         6 – 6   Boston College   2 – 6         6 – 6   Syracuse   2 – 6         4 – 8   Coastal Division No. 18 Virginia Tech xy   6 – 2         9 – 3   North Carolina   5 – 3         8 – 4   Miami   5 – 3         8 – 4   No. 22 Pittsburgh   5 – 3         8 – 4   Georgia Tech   4 – 4         8 – 4   Duke   1 – 7         4 – 8   Virginia   1 – 7         2 – 10   Championship: Clemson 42, Virginia Tech 35 ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of December 4, 2016; Rankings from AP Poll	2016 Big Ten football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division No. 5 Penn State xy$   8 – 1         11 – 2   No. 2 Ohio State x   8 – 1         11 – 1   No. 6 Michigan   7 – 2         10 – 2   Indiana   4 – 5         6 – 6   Maryland   3 – 6         6 – 6   Michigan State   1 – 8         3 – 9   Rutgers   0 – 9         2 – 10   West Division No. 8 Wisconsin xy   7 – 2         10 – 3   No. 24 Nebraska   6 – 3         9 – 3   No. 21 Iowa   6 – 3         8 – 4   Minnesota   5 – 4         8 – 4   Northwestern   5 – 4         6 – 6   Illinois   2 – 7         3 – 9   Purdue   1 – 8         3 – 9   Championship: Penn State 38, Wisconsin 31 ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of December 4, 2016; Rankings from AP Poll
2016 Big 12 football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   No. 7 Oklahoma $   9 – 0         10 – 2   No. 11 Oklahoma State   7 – 2         9 – 3   No. 14 West Virginia   7 – 2         10 – 2   Kansas State   6 – 3         8 – 4   TCU   4 – 5         6 – 6   Baylor   3 – 6         6 – 6   Texas   3 – 6         5 – 7   Texas Tech   3 – 6         5 – 7   Iowa State   2 – 7         3 – 9   Kansas   1 – 8         2 – 10   $ – Conference champion As of December 4, 2016; Rankings from AP Poll	2016 Conference USA football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division WKU xy$   7 – 1         10 – 3   Old Dominion x   7 – 1         9 – 3   Middle Tennessee   5 – 3         8 – 4   FIU   4 – 4         4 – 8   Charlotte   3 – 5         4 – 8   Marshall   2 – 6         3 – 9   Florida Atlantic   2 – 6         3 – 9   West Division Louisiana Tech xy   6 – 2         8 – 5   UTSA   5 – 3         6 – 6   Southern Miss   4 – 4         6 – 6   North Texas   3 – 5         5 – 7   Rice   2 – 6         3 – 9   UTEP   2 – 6         4 – 8   Championship: Western Kentucky 58, Louisiana Tech 44 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions As of December 4, 2016; Rankings from AP Poll	2016 Mid-American Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division Ohio xy   6 – 2         8 – 5   Miami (OH) x   6 – 2         6 – 6   Akron   3 – 5         5 – 7   Bowling Green   3 – 5         4 – 8   Kent State   2 – 6         3 – 9   Buffalo   1 – 7         2 – 10   West Division No. 13 Western Michigan xy$   8 – 0         13 – 0   Toledo   6 – 2         9 – 3   Northern Illinois   5 – 3         5 – 7   Eastern Michigan   4 – 4         7 – 5   Central Michigan   3 – 5         6 – 6   Ball State   1 – 7         4 – 8   Championship: Western Michigan 29, Ohio 23 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of December 4, 2016; Rankings from AP Poll
2016 Mountain West football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Mountain Division Wyoming xy   6 – 2         8 – 5   Boise State x   6 – 2         10 – 2   New Mexico x   6 – 2         8 – 4   Air Force   5 – 3         9 – 3   Colorado State   5 – 3         7 – 5   Utah State   1 – 7         3 – 9   West Division San Diego State xy$   6 – 2         10 – 3   Hawaii   4 – 4         6 – 7   Nevada   3 – 5         5 – 7   San Jose State   3 – 5         4 – 8   UNLV   3 – 5         4 – 8   Fresno State   0 – 8         1 – 11   Championship: San Diego State 27, Wyoming 24 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of December 4, 2016; Rankings from AP Poll	2016 Pac-12 football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   North Division No. 4 Washington xy$   8 – 1         12 – 1   Washington State   7 – 2         8 – 4   No. 17 Stanford   6 – 3         9 – 3   California   3 – 6         5 – 7   Oregon State   3 – 6         4 – 8   Oregon   2 – 7         4 – 8   South Division No. 9 Colorado xy   8 – 1         10 – 3   No. 10 USC   7 – 2         9 – 3   Utah   5 – 4         8 – 4   Arizona State   2 – 7         5 – 7   UCLA   2 – 7         4 – 8   Arizona   1 – 8         3 – 9   Championship: Washington 41, Colorado 10 ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of December 4, 2016; Rankings from AP Poll	2016 SEC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division No. 15 Florida xy   6 – 2         8 – 4   Tennessee   4 – 4         8 – 4   Georgia   4 – 4         7 – 5   Kentucky   4 – 4         7 – 5   South Carolina   3 – 5         6 – 6   Vanderbilt   3 – 5         6 – 6   Missouri   2 – 6         4 – 8   West Division No. 1 Alabama x$^   8 – 0         13 – 0   No. 18 Auburn   5 – 3         8 – 4   No. 21 LSU   5 – 3         7 – 4   Texas A&M   4 – 4         8 – 4   Arkansas   3 – 5         7 – 5   Mississippi State   3 – 5         5 – 7   Ole Miss   2 – 6         5 – 7   Championship: Alabama 54, Florida 16 ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of December 4, 2016; Rankings from AP Poll
2016 Sun Belt football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Appalachian State +   7 – 1         9 – 3   Arkansas State +   7 – 1         7 – 5   Troy   6 – 2         9 – 3   Idaho   6 – 2         8 – 4   Louisiana–Lafayette   5 – 3         6 – 6   Georgia Southern   4 – 4         5 – 7   Louisiana–Monroe   3 – 5         4 – 8   South Alabama   2 – 6         6 – 6   Georgia State   2 – 6         3 – 9   New Mexico State   2 – 6         3 – 9   Texas State   0 – 8         2 – 10   + – Conference co-champions As of December 4, 2016; Rankings from AP Poll	2016 Division I FBS independents football records Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   BYU     –           8 – 4   Army     –           6 – 5   Notre Dame     –           4 – 8   UMass     –           2 – 10   As of December 4, 2016; Rankings from AP Poll

Conference summaries

Power 5 Conferences

Conference	Champion	Runner-up	Score	Record	Offensive Player of the Year	Defensive Player of the Year	Coach of the Year
ACC	Clemson[p 1] (Atlantic)	Virginia Tech (Coastal)	Clemson (42–35)	Clemson 12–1 (7–1)	Lamar Jackson (QB), Louisville [33]	DeMarcus Walker (LB), Florida State[34]	Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech [35]
Big 12	Oklahoma	Oklahoma State	Oklahoma (38-20)	Oklahoma 10–2 (9–0)
Big Ten	Penn State[p 1] (East)	Wisconsin (West)	Penn State (38–31)	Penn State 11–2 (8–1)	Saquon Barkley (RB), Penn State	Jabrill Peppers (LB), Michigan	Paul Chryst (coaches), Wisconsin and James Franklin (media), Penn State
Pac-12	Washington (North)	Colorado (South)	Washington (41–10)	Washington 12–1 (8–1)	Jake Browning (QB), Washington	Adoree' Jackson (WR/CB), USC	Mike MacIntyre, Colorado
SEC	Alabama (West)	Florida (East)	Alabama (54–16)	Alabama 13–0 (8–0)

Group of Five Conferences

Note: Records are regular-season only, and do not include playoff games.

Conference	Champion	Runner Up	Score	Record	Offensive Player of the Year	Defensive Player of the Year	Coach of the Year
AAC	Temple [g 1] (East)	Navy (West)	Temple (34–10)	Temple 10–3 (7–1)	Quinton Flowers (QB), South Florida	Shaquem Griffin (LB), UCF	Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
C-USA	WKU [g 1] (East)	Louisiana Tech (West)	WKU (58–44)	WKU 10–3 (7–1)
MAC	Western Michigan (West)	Ohio[g 1] (East)	Western Michigan (29–23)	Western Michigan 13–0 (8–0)	Corey Davis (WR), Western Michigan	Tarell Basham (DE), Ohio	P.J. Fleck, Western Michigan
MW	San Diego State (West)	Wyoming[g 1] (Mountain)	San Diego State (27–24)	San Diego State 10–3 (6–2)	Donnel Pumphrey (RB), San Diego State	Damontae Kazee (DB), San Diego State	Craig Bohl, Wyoming
Sun Belt	Appalachian State & Arkansas State	Troy & Idaho	N/A	App State 9–3 (7–1) Arkansas State 7–5 (7–1)

Playoff qualifiers

Automatic berths for conference champions

Conference	Team	Appearance	Last bid	Result
ACC	Clemson	2nd	2015	National Championship (L – Alabama)
Big Ten	Penn State	1st	Never	Never
Big 12	Oklahoma*	2nd	2015	Semifinal (L – Clemson)
Pac-12	Washington	1st	Never	Never
SEC	Alabama	3rd	2015	National Championship (W – Clemson)

• Big 12 - Oklahoma (abstentions)

Bowl eligibility

Because of the previous season in which three 5-7 teams made bowl games, even teams with seven losses could potentially still be eligible.

Bowl Eligible Teams

• American Athletic Conference (7): Houston, Memphis, Navy, Temple, Tulsa, UCF, USF
• Atlantic Coast Conference (11): Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, N.C. State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
• Big 12 Conference (6): Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, West Virginia
• Big Ten Conference (10): Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
• Conference USA (6): Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, UTSA, Western Kentucky
• Independents (2): Army, BYU
• Mid-American Conference (6): Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
• Mountain West Conference (7): Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Hawaii, New Mexico, San Diego State, Wyoming
• Pac-12 Conference (6): Colorado, Stanford, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State
• Southeastern Conference (11): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
• Sun Belt Conference (6): Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Idaho, Louisiana-Lafayette, South Alabama, Troy

Total : 78

Bowl Ineligible Teams

• The American (5, all eliminated): SMU, Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Tulane
• ACC (3, all eliminated): Duke, Syracuse, Virginia
• Big Ten (4, all eliminated): Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue, Rutgers
• Big 12 (4): Texas*, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Kansas
• Conference USA (7): Charlotte, North Texas* (will qualify via APR), Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Marshall, Rice, UTEP
• Independent (2, both eliminated): Notre Dame, Massachusetts
• MAC (6): Akron, Northern Illinois*, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Kent State
• Mountain West (5, all eliminated): Nevada, Fresno State, San José State, Utah State, UNLV
• Pac-12 (6, all eliminated): Arizona State, California, Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA
• SEC (3): Mississippi State* (will qualify via APR), Missouri, Ole Miss
• Sun Belt (5): Georgia Southern, Louisiana–Monroe*, Georgia State, New Mexico State, Texas State

Total : 50

Note: Teams with Asterisk(*) qualified for bowls based on Academic Progress Rate, despite not having a bowl eligible record.

Television viewers and ratings

Most watched regular season games

Rank	Date	Matchup				Channel	Viewers	TV Rating[36]	Significance
1	November 26, 12:00 ET	#3 Michigan	27	#2 Ohio State	30	ABC	16.84 Million	9.4	The Game
2	September 4, 7:30 ET	#10 Notre Dame	47	Texas	50		10.94 Million	6.4
3	November 5, 8:00 ET	#1 Alabama	10	#13 LSU	0	CBS	10.38 Million	5.8	Rivalry
4	October 1, 8:00 ET	#3 Louisville	36	#5 Clemson	42	ABC	9.29 Million	5.5
5	October 15, 8:00 ET	#2 Ohio State	30	#8 Wisconsin	23		8.96 Million	5.6
6	October 22, 3:30 ET	#1 Alabama	33	#6 Texas A&M	14	CBS	8.46 Million	5.1
7	September 5, 8:00 ET	#11 Ole Miss	34	#4 Florida State	45	ESPN	8.35 Million	4.8	Camping World Kickoff
8	November 26, 3:30 ET	#13 Auburn	12	#1 Alabama	30	CBS	8.24 Million	4.6	Iron Bowl
9	September 17, 3:30 ET	#1 Alabama	48	#19 Ole Miss	43		8.17 Million	5.0	Rivalry
10	September 3, 8:00 ET	#20 USC	6	#1 Alabama	52	ABC	7.94 Million	4.6	Advocare Classic

Conference championship games

Rank	Date	Matchup				Channel	Viewers	TV Rating	Conference	Location
	December 3	Alabama (West)	54	Florida (East)	16	CBS			SEC	Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
	December 3	Wisconsin (West)	31	Penn State (East)	38	FOX			Big Ten	Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
	December 3	Clemson (Atlantic)	42	Virginia Tech (Coastal)	35	ABC			ACC	Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL[37]
	December 2	Washington (North)	41	Colorado (South)	10	FOX			Pac-12	Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
	December 3	Navy (West)	10	Temple (East)	34	ABC			AAC	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD
	December 2	Western Michigan (West)	29	Ohio (East)	23	ESPN2			MAC	Ford Field, Detroit, MI
	December 3	Western Kentucky (East)	58	Louisiana Tech (West)	44	ESPN			C-USA	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY
	December 3	San Diego State (West)	27	Wyoming (Mountain)	24	ESPN			MW	War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, WY

College Football Playoff

Game	Date	Matchup				Channel	Viewers	TV Rating	Location
Peach Bowl	December 31, 2016 (semifinal)					ESPN			Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
Fiesta Bowl	December 31, 2016 (semifinal)								University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
National Championship	January 9, 2017, 8:30 ET								Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL

Postseason

Since the 2014–15 postseason, six College Football Playoff (CFP) bowl games have hosted two semifinal playoff games on a rotating basis. For this season, the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona and the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta will host the semifinal games, with the winners advancing to the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Conference performance in bowl games

Conference	Total games	Wins	Losses	Pct.
SEC	0	0	0	–
ACC	0	0	0	–
Big Ten	0	0	0	–
Pac-12	0	0	0	–
Big 12	0	0	0	–
MW	0	0	0	–
The American	0	0	0	–
C-USA	0	0	0	–
MAC	0	0	0	–
Independents	0	0	0	–
Sun Belt	0	0	0	–

NCAA FBS CFP Playoff bracket

	Semifinals December 31 Fiesta Bowl/Peach Bowl					National Championship January 9 Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
	1
	4
	2
	3

* † Overtime   
 Winner
All times in Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00)

Rankings

Final CFP rankings

CFP	School	Record	Bowl Game
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

Final rankings

Rank	Associated Press	USA TODAY/AFCA*
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

* - The AFCA requires that their voters make the winner of the CFP Championship at the number one position in the final poll.
^≠ -

Awards and honors

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player.

Other overall

• Archie Griffin Award (MVP): Finalists :
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• AP Player of the Year: Finalists :
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• Chic Harley Award (Player of the Year): Finalists :
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• Maxwell Award (top player): Finalists :
  - Lamar Jackson, Louisville
  - Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
  - Jabrill Peppers, Michigan

• SN Player of the Year: Finalists :
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• Walter Camp Award (top player): Finalists :
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Special overall

• Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began as walk-on): Finalists :
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• Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player): Finalists :
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• Campbell Trophy ("academic Heisman"): Finalists :
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• Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete): Finalists :
  - Garrett Adcock, New Mexico
  - Christian McCaffrey, Stanford
  - Trevor Knight, Texas A&M

• POLY POY (Polynesian College Football Player of the Year): Finalists :
  - Cole Hikutini, Louisville
  - Sefo Liufau, Colorado
  - Lowell Lotulelei, Utah
  - Kai Nacua, BYU
  - JuJu Smith-Schuster, USC

Offense

Quarterback

• Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback): Finalists :
  - Lamar Jackson, Louisville
  - Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
  - Deshaun Watson, Clemson

• Johnny Unitas Award (senior/4th year quarterback): Finalists :
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• Kellen Moore Award (quarterback): Finalists :
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• Manning Award (quarterback): Finalists :
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• Sammy Baugh Trophy (passing quarterback): Finalists :
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Running back

• Doak Walker Award (running back): Finalists :
  - Dalvin Cook, Florida State
  - D'Onta Foreman, Texas
  - Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State

• Jim Brown Trophy (running back): Finalists :
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Wide receiver

• Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver): Finalists :
  - Austin Carr, Northwestern
  - Zay Jones, East Carolina
  - Dede Westbrook, Oklahoma

• Paul Warfield Trophy (wide receiver): Finalists :
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Tight end

• John Mackey Award (tight end): Finalists :
  - Jake Butt, Michigan
  - O. J. Howard, Alabama
  - Jordan Leggett, Clemson

• Ozzie Newsome Award (tight end): Finalists :
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Lineman

• Dave Rimington Trophy (center): Finalists :
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• Jim Parker Trophy (offensive lineman): Finalists :
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Defense

• Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player): Finalists :
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• Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): Finalists :
  - Jonathan Allen, Alabama
  - Myles Garrett, Texas A&M
  - Jabrill Peppers, Michigan

• Lott Trophy (defensive impact): Finalists :
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Defensive line

• Bill Willis Award (defensive lineman): Finalists :
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• Dick Butkus Award (linebacker): Finalists :
  - Kendell Beckwith, LSU
  - Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt
  - Jarrad Davis, Florida
  - Reuben Foster, Alabama
  - Josey Jewell, Iowa

• Jack Lambert Trophy (linebacker): Finalists :
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• Rotary Lombardi Award (defensive lineman/linebacker): Finalists :
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• Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end): Finalists :
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Defensive back

• Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back): Finalists :
  - Adoree' Jackson, USC
  - Jourdan Lewis, Michigan
  - Tre'Davious White, LSU

• Jack Tatum Trophy (defensive back): Finalists :
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Special teams

• Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Finalists :
  - Daniel Carlson, Auburn
  - Zane Gonzalez, Arizona State
  - Younghoe Koo, Georgia Southern

• Vlade Award (placekicker): Finalists :
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• Ray Guy Award (punter): Finalists :
  - Michael Dickson, Texas
  - Cameron Johnston, Ohio State
  - Mitch Wishnowsky, Utah

• Jet Award (return specialist): Finalists :
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Other positional awards

• Outland Trophy (interior lineman on either offense or defense): Finalists :
  - Pat Elflein, Ohio State
  - Cody O'Connell, Washington State
  - Cam Robinson, Alabama

Coaches

• AFCA Coach of the Year:
• AP Coach of the Year:

Assistants

• AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year:

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2016. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2016, see 2015 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement
Baylor	Art Briles	May 26, 2016	Fired[38]	Jim Grobe (interim)
FIU	Ron Turner	September 25, 2016	Fired[39]	Ron Cooper (interim)
Fresno State	Tim DeRuyter	October 23, 2016	Fired	Eric Kiesau (interim)
LSU	Les Miles	September 25, 2016	Fired	Ed Orgeron[lower-alpha 1]
Purdue	Darrell Hazell	October 16, 2016	Fired	Gerad Parker (Interim)

End of season

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement
Cincinnati	Tommy Tuberville	December 4, 2016	Resigned	TBD
FIU	Ron Cooper (interim)	November 9, 2016	Permanent replacement	[[Butch Davis]
Florida Atlantic	Charlie Partridge	November 27,2016	Fired	TBD
Fresno State	Eric Kiesau (interim)	November 9, 2016	Permanent replacement	Jeff Tedford
Georgia State	Trent Miles	November 13, 2016	Fired	Tim Lappano (interim)
Houston	Tom Herman	November 26, 2016	Hired by Texas	Todd Orlando (interim, bowl)
Indiana	Kevin Wilson	December 1, 2016	Resigned	Tom Allen
Nevada	Brian Polian	November 27, 2016	Fired	TBD
Oregon	Mark Helfrich	November 29, 2016	Fired	TBD
San Jose State	Ron Caragher	November 27, 2016	Fired	TBD
Texas	Charlie Strong	November 26, 2016	Fired	Tom Herman

See also

• 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
• 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season
• 2016 NCAA Division II football season
• 2016 NCAA Division III football season
• 2016 college football season

Footnotes

References

External links