1996 Florida A&M Rattlers football team

The 1996 Florida A&M Rattlers football team represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Billy Joe, the Rattlers compiled an overall record of 9–3, with a mark of 7–0 in conference play, and finished as MEAC champion. Florida A&M completed their season with a loss against Troy State in the NCAA Division I-AA First Round.

1996 Florida A&M Rattlers football
MEAC champion
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 25–29 vs. Troy State
Conference	Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 12
Record	9–3 (7–0 MEAC)
Head coach	Billy Joe (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Gulf Coast
Home stadium	Bragg Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

1996 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 12 Florida A&M $^		7	–	0					9	–	3
No. 20 Howard		6	–	1					10	–	2
North Carolina A&T		4	–	3					8	–	3
South Carolina State		4	–	3					4	–	6
Hampton		3	–	4					5	–	6
Morgan State		2	–	5					4	–	7
Delaware State		2	–	5					3	–	8
Bethune–Cookman		0	–	7					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	at Tennessee State*		Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	W 35–20	31,782	[1]
September 7	Tuskegee*		Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 56–0	24,726	[2]
September 21	at No. 6 Jackson State*	No. 22	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 9–16	38,500	[3]
September 28	Howard	No. 21	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 21–20	7,741	[4]
October 5	vs. Hampton	No. 21	RCA Dome Indianapolis, IN (Circle City Classic)	W 59–58 6OT	62,037	[5]
October 12	North Carolina A&T	No. 16	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 24–23		[6]
October 19	at Delaware State	No. 15	Alumni Stadium Dover, DE	W 47–26		[7]
November 3	Morgan State	No. 12	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 83–12		[8]
November 9	at Southern*	No. 13	A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 17–21	15,969	[9]
November 16	vs. South Carolina State	No. 16	Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA (Budweiser Super Showdown)	W 20–6	24,800	[10]
November 23	vs. Bethune–Cookman	No. 13	Houlihan's Stadium Tampa, FL (Florida Classic)	W 41–7		[11]
November 30	at No. 5 Troy State*	No. 12	Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	L 29–25	10,200	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game