1996 Ball State Cardinals football team

The 1996 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its second season under head coach Bill Lynch, the team compiled an 8–4 record (7–1 against conference opponents), won the MAC championship, and lost to Nevada in the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl.^[1][2] The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.

1996 Ball State Cardinals football
MAC champion
Las Vegas Bowl, L 15–18 vs. Nevada
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	8–4 (7–1 MAC)
Head coach	Bill Lynch (2nd season)
Home stadium	Ball State Stadium
Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

1996 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Ball State $		7	–	1					8	–	4
Toledo		6	–	2					7	–	4
Miami (OH)		6	–	2					6	–	5
Ohio		5	–	3					6	–	6
Central Michigan		4	–	4					5	–	6
Akron		3	–	5					4	–	7
Bowling Green		3	–	5					4	–	7
Eastern Michigan		3	–	5					3	–	8
Western Michigan		2	–	6					2	–	9
Kent State		1	–	7					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion

The team's statistical leaders included Brent Baldwin with 1,703 passing yards, Michael Blair with 680 rushing yards, Ed Abernathy with 425 receiving yards, and Brent Lockliear with 56 points scored.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 29	at No. 25 Kansas*	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 10–35	36,200
September 7	Miami (OH)	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	L 6–16
September 14	at Minnesota*	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, N	L 23–26	41,007
September 21	UCF*	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 31–10	11,475
October 5	at Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	W 28–5
October 12	Ohio	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 30–27
October 19	at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH	W 16–11
October 26	at Central Michigan	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI	W 24–17
November 2	at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	W 39–25
November 9	Kent State	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 50–6
November 16	Toledo	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 24–14
December 19	vs. Nevada*	Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, NV (Las Vegas Bowl)	L 15–18	10,118
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game