1996 Cal Poly Mustangs football team

1996 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Buffalo		–		8	–	3
No. 15 Youngstown State		–		8	–	3
Saint Mary's		–		7	–	3
Western Kentucky		–		7	–	4
Davidson		–		6	–	4
Towson		–		6	–	4
Samford		–		6	–	5
Wofford		–		6	–	5
Cal Poly		–		5	–	6
Hofstra		–		5	–	6
Liberty		–		5	–	6
Southern Utah		–		4	–	7
Charleston Southern		–		2	–	8
Morehead State		–		2	–	8
Jacksonville State		–		1	–	9

^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1996 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as an independent during the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by Andre Patterson in his third and final season as head coach, Cal Poly compiled a record of 5–6.^[1] The team was outscored by its opponents 356 to 308 for the season. The Mustangs played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

Patterson finished his three-year tenure as head coach with a record of 17–16, for a .515 winning percentage.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	at No. 20 Idaho State	Holt Arena Pocatello, ID	L 32–35 ^OT
September 14	at No. 2 Montana	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT	L 0–43	18,169	^[2]
September 21	No. 17 Weber State	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	L 20–30
September 28	Central Washington	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 49–14
October 5	at Idaho	Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID	L 33–38	14,579	^[3]
October 12	Saint Mary's	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 34–33
October 19	Southern Utah	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	W 45–34
October 26	at No. 15 Western Illinois	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	L 10–51		^[4]
November 2	No. 12 (D-II) UC Davis	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA (rivalry)	W 17–13	8,216
November 9	at Montana State	Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT	L 20–37
November 23	at Sacramento State	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	W 48–28	3,398
Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

^ "Independents". The Dispatch (Moline, Illinois). November 28, 1996. p. D6. Retrieved February 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ 2010 Montana Football Media Guide Archived July 31, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University of Montana, 2010.
^ O'Neal, Shawn (October 7, 1996). "Vandals aren't enjoying a reality check". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). p. 1C.
^ "Mustangs knuckle under, 51-10". Santa Maria Times. Associated Press. October 27, 1996. p. B6. Retrieved November 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Cal Poly Football; 2016 Media Guide". Retrieved January 12, 2017.

v t e Cal Poly Mustangs football
Venues	Alex G. Spanos Stadium (1935–present)
Bowls & rivalries	UC Davis: Battle for the Golden Horseshoe
Culture & lore	Musty the Mustang "Ride High You Mustangs" Mustang Band Cal Poly football team C-46 crash
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National championship seasons in bold