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2016 NCAA Division I FBS season
Number of teams	128
Duration	August 26, 2016 – December 10, 2016
Preseason AP No. 1	Alabama Crimson Tide
Post-season
Duration	December 17, 2016 – January 9, 2017
Bowl games	41
AP Poll No. 1	Clemson Tigers[1]
Coaches Poll No. 1	Clemson Tigers[2]
Heisman Trophy	Lamar Jackson, Louisville
College Football Playoff
College Football Playoff National Championship
Site	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida
Winner	Clemson Tigers
Division I FBS football seasons
← 2015 2017 →

The 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 26, 2016 and ended on December 10, 2016. The postseason concluded on January 9, 2017 with the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship, where the Clemson Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide for their second national title in school history. The championship game was a rematch of the 2016 edition won by Alabama.

Rule changes

The following rule changes were voted on by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2016 season:^[3]

• 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.^[4]


• 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" (e.g., by sliding) will now be considered a defenseless player.


• Deliberate tripping of a ball carrier with the leg is now a 15-yard penalty.


• 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. Previously, a defensive player would not have been penalized for such a hit if making a bona fide attempt at a tackle.


• Teams attempting a scrimmage kick (i.e., field goals, PATs, and 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	MAC	FBS independent

Although Coastal Carolina began the transition process to FBS in the 2016 season and joined the Sun Belt Conference in non-football sports, it was officially classified as an FCS independent for this first season of the transition. Coastal Carolina became a provisional FBS member when the football team joined the Sun Belt in 2017, and full FBS membership and bowl eligibility followed in 2018.^[5]

Other headlines

• March 1 – The Sun Belt Conference announced that its football-only membership agreements with Idaho and New Mexico State would not be renewed upon their expirations at the end of the 2017 season.^[6]


• April 8 – The NCAA Division I Council voted 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.^[7] The new rule was reversed on April 28.^[8]


• April 11 – The Division I Council approved 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 affected three games that were in the process of seeking NCAA certification for the 2016 season.^[9]


• April 28
  
  • The University of Idaho announced that the Vandals football team would return to the FCS Big Sky Conference, its all-sports league, effective with the 2018 season.^[10] The Vandals will become the first team ever to voluntarily drop from FBS to FCS.^[11]
  
  
  • The Division I Board of Directors rescinded 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.^[12][13]
  
  


• September 10 - Arizona State running back Kalen Ballage scored 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.^[14]


• October 22 – The Oklahoma–Texas Tech game, won 66–59 by Oklahoma, saw several FBS single-game records broken or equaled:^[15]
  • The teams combined 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 broke the previous FBS record of 751 set in 2014 by Connor Halliday of Washington State. Mahomes also tied Halliday's FBS record of 734 passing yards.
  
  
  • Oklahoma became 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 received 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, was converted to a football stadium seating 23,000, with potential future expansion to 33,000.^[16] The football team ultimately began play at Turner Field, since renamed Georgia State Stadium, in 2017 while the conversion project was ongoing.^[17]


• November 26 – Pittsburgh defeated 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.^[18]

Kickoff games

• 
  California and Hawaii played the first game of the 2016 season at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia on August 27.^{[n 1]} This was the first college football game in Oceania since 1985.^[19] California eased to a 51–31 win.^[20]


• 
  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.^[21]


• 
  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."^[22]


• 
  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.^[23]


• 
  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.^[24]


• 
  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.^[25]


• 
  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.^[26]


• 
  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.^[27]


• 
  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.^[28]

Upsets

In the first full weekend of the season, seven teams ranked in the AP Poll lost, the most in an opening week since the debut of the AP preseason poll in 1950.^[29] 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.^[30] The weekend also saw seven SEC teams lose their season openers, which had not happened since the league returned to 12 teams with the 1992 arrival of Arkansas and South Carolina.^{[n 2][29]} One of those loses saw South Alabama defeat Mississippi State 21-20 as a 28-point underdog, which was the biggest FPI upset in the last 5 seasons (2.3% chance to win before the match).^[31]

On September 10, a finish noted for its improbability happened when Central Michigan defeated 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 (the MAC and Big 12 respectively), 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.^[32]

On September 17, FCS program North Dakota State defeated #13 Iowa on a late field goal to win 23–21 at Kinnick Stadium, becoming just the fourth FCS team to beat an AP-ranked FBS team.^[33] This was Iowa's first loss to a non FBS opponent. The next day, NDSU received 74 points in the AP Poll to set a new record for votes received by an FCS team in a single AP Poll.^[34]

On December 10, Army defeated #25 ranked Navy 21–17 to end a 14-year losing streak in the Army–Navy Game, the longest for either side in the rivalry's history.^[35]

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.^[36]


• 
  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.^[37] The new end zone when completed will be topped by a new state of the art 7,806 square feet scoreboard.^[38] 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 began a four-year renovation of Sun Devil Stadium after the 2014 season. For the 2016 season, upper deck seats were removed and the lower bowl on the west sideline and north end zone was redone. Renovations are expected to be complete by the start of the 2018 season.


• 
  West Virginia was 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.


• 
  Louisville began work on expansion of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium during the season. The project will increase the stadium's capacity from 55,000 to 65,000,^[39] and at the time was planned to be complete for the 2019 season. Due to unexpected fundraising success, the project timetable was advanced, and the expansion is now expected to open for the 2018 season.^[40]

In addition to the stadium updates above, two schools played their final season in their then-current venues:

• 
  Colorado State was in the process of 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 opened for the 2017 season.


• 
  Georgia State played its final season in the Georgia Dome, as the stadium was to be demolished once its replacement, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, opened in September 2017. As noted above, Georgia State purchased Turner Field with the intent of renovating the stadium for football, and the Panthers began playing home games there in 2017 while renovations were ongoing.

Conference standings

2016 American Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division Temple xy$   7 – 1         10 – 4   No. 19 South Florida x   7 – 1         11 – 2   UCF   4 – 4         6 – 7   Cincinnati   1 – 7         4 – 8   Connecticut   1 – 7         3 – 9   East Carolina   1 – 7         3 – 9   West Division Navy xy   7 – 1         9 – 5   Tulsa   6 – 2         10 – 3   Memphis   5 – 3         8 – 5   Houston   5 – 3         9 – 4   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 Rankings from AP Poll	2016 ACC football standings v t e Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Atlantic Division No. 1 Clemson xy$#   7 – 1         14 – 1   No. 21 Louisville x   7 – 1         9 – 4   No. 8 Florida State   5 – 3         10 – 3   NC State   3 – 5         7 – 6   Wake Forest   3 – 5         7 – 6   Boston College   2 – 6         7 – 6   Syracuse   2 – 6         4 – 8   Coastal Division No. 16 Virginia Tech xy   6 – 2         10 – 4   North Carolina   5 – 3         8 – 5   No. 20 Miami   5 – 3         9 – 4   Pittsburgh   5 – 3         8 – 5   Georgia Tech   4 – 4         9 – 4   Duke   1 – 7         4 – 8   Virginia   1 – 7         2 – 10   Championship: Clemson 42, Virginia Tech 35 # – College Football Playoff champion $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll	2016 Big Ten football standings v t e Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division No. 7 Penn State xy$   8 – 1         11 – 3   No. 6 Ohio State x^   8 – 1         11 – 2   No. 10 Michigan   7 – 2         10 – 3   Indiana   4 – 5         6 – 7   Maryland   3 – 6         6 – 7   Michigan State   1 – 8         3 – 9   Rutgers   0 – 9         2 – 10   West Division No. 9 Wisconsin xy   7 – 2         11 – 3   Iowa   6 – 3         8 – 5   Nebraska   6 – 3         9 – 4   Minnesota   5 – 4         9 – 4   Northwestern   5 – 4         7 – 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 Rankings from AP Poll
2016 Big 12 football standings v t e Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   No. 5 Oklahoma $   9 – 0         11 – 2   No. 11 Oklahoma State   7 – 2         10 – 3   No. 18 West Virginia   7 – 2         10 – 3   Kansas State   6 – 3         9 – 4   TCU   4 – 5         6 – 7   Baylor   3 – 6         7 – 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 Rankings from AP Poll	2016 Conference USA football standings v t e Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division Western Kentucky xy$   7 – 1         11 – 3   Old Dominion x   7 – 1         10 – 3   Middle Tennessee   5 – 3         8 – 5   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         9 – 5   UTSA   5 – 3         6 – 7   Southern Miss   4 – 4         7 – 6   North Texas   3 – 5         5 – 8   Rice   2 – 6         3 – 9   UTEP   2 – 6         4 – 8   Championship: Western Kentucky 58, Louisiana Tech 44 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll	2016 Mid-American Conference football standings v t e Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division Ohio xy   6 – 2         8 – 6   Miami x   6 – 2         6 – 7   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. 15 Western Michigan xy$   8 – 0         13 – 1   Toledo   6 – 2         9 – 4   Northern Illinois   5 – 3         5 – 7   Eastern Michigan   4 – 4         7 – 6   Central Michigan   3 – 5         6 – 7   Ball State   1 – 7         4 – 8   Championship: Western Michigan 29, Ohio 23 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll
2016 Mountain West football standings v t e Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Mountain Division Wyoming xy   6 – 2         8 – 6   Boise State x   6 – 2         10 – 3   New Mexico x   6 – 2         9 – 4   Air Force   5 – 3         10 – 3   Colorado State   5 – 3         7 – 6   Utah State   1 – 7         3 – 9   West Division No. 25 San Diego State xy$   6 – 2         11 – 3   Hawaii   4 – 4         7 – 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 Rankings from AP Poll	2016 Pac-12 football standings v t e Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   North Division No. 4 Washington x$^   8 – 1         12 – 2   Washington State   7 – 2         8 – 5   No. 12 Stanford   6 – 3         10 – 3   California   3 – 6         5 – 7   Oregon State   3 – 6         4 – 8   Oregon   2 – 7         4 – 8   South Division No. 17 Colorado x   8 – 1         10 – 4   No. 3 USC   7 – 2         10 – 3   No. 23 Utah   5 – 4         9 – 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 Rankings from AP Poll	2016 SEC football standings v t e Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division No. 14 Florida x   6 – 2         9 – 4   No. 22 Tennessee   4 – 4         9 – 4   Georgia   4 – 4         8 – 5   Kentucky   4 – 4         7 – 6   South Carolina   3 – 5         6 – 7   Vanderbilt   3 – 5         6 – 7   Missouri   2 – 6         4 – 8   West Division No. 2 Alabama x$^   8 – 0         14 – 1   No. 24 Auburn   5 – 3         8 – 5   No. 13 LSU   5 – 3         8 – 4   Texas A&M   4 – 4         8 – 5   Arkansas   3 – 5         7 – 6   Mississippi State   3 – 5         6 – 7   Ole Miss   2 – 6         5 – 7   Championship: Alabama 54, Florida 16 ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll
2016 Sun Belt football standings v t e Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Appalachian State +   7 – 1         10 – 3   Arkansas State +   7 – 1         8 – 5   Troy   6 – 2         10 – 3   Idaho   6 – 2         9 – 4   Louisiana–Lafayette   5 – 3         6 – 7   Georgia Southern   4 – 4         5 – 7   Louisiana–Monroe   3 – 5         4 – 8   South Alabama   2 – 6         6 – 7   Georgia State   2 – 6         3 – 9   New Mexico State   2 – 6         3 – 9   Texas State   0 – 8         2 – 10   + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll	2016 Division I FBS independents football records v t e Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   BYU     –           9 – 4   Army     –           8 – 5   Notre Dame     –           4 – 8   UMass     –           2 – 10   Rankings from AP Poll

Conference summaries

Rankings reflect the Week 15 AP Poll before the conference championship games were played.

Power 5 Conferences

Conference	Champion	Runner-up	Score	Offensive Player of the Year	Defensive Player of the Year	Coach of the Year
ACC	#3 Clemson[p 1]CFP	#19 Virginia Tech	42–35	Lamar Jackson (QB), Louisville [41]	DeMarcus Walker (LB), Florida State[42]	Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech [43]
Big 12	#7 Oklahoma	#11 Oklahoma State #14 West Virginia	N/A	Dede Westbrook (WR), Oklahoma	Jordan Willis (DE), Kansas State	Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
Big Ten	#8 Penn State[p 1]	#6 Wisconsin	38–31	Saquon Barkley (RB), Penn State	Jabrill Peppers (LB), Michigan	Paul Chryst (coaches), Wisconsin & James Franklin (media), Penn State
Pac-12	#4 Washington CFP	#9 Colorado	41–10	Jake Browning (QB), Washington	Adoree' Jackson (WR/CB), USC	Mike MacIntyre, Colorado
SEC	#1 Alabama CFP	#15 Florida	54–16	Jalen Hurts (QB), Alabama	Jonathan Allen (DE), Alabama	Nick Saban, Alabama

Group of Five Conferences

Conference	Champion	Runner Up	Score	Offensive Player of the Year	Defensive Player of the Year	Coach of the Year
AAC	Temple [g 1] (East)	#20 Navy	34–10	Quinton Flowers (QB), South Florida	Shaquem Griffin (LB), UCF	Ken Niumatalolo, Navy
C-USA	Western Kentucky [g 1]	Louisiana Tech	58–44	Ryan Higgins (QB), Louisiana Tech (MVP) Carlos Henderson (WR), Louisiana Tech (Offensive POY)	Trey Hendrickson (DE), Florida Atlantic	Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech
MAC	#13 Western Michigan	Ohio[g 1]	29–23	Corey Davis (WR), Western Michigan	Tarell Basham (DE), Ohio	P.J. Fleck, Western Michigan
MW	San Diego State	Wyoming[g 1]	27–24	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	Jalin Moore (RB), Appalachian State	Ja'Von Rolland-Jones (DL), Arkansas State (overall POY) Rashad Dillard (DL), Troy (Defensive POY)	Paul Petrino, Idaho

^CFP College Football Playoff participant

Bowl eligibility

As in previous seasons, teams with losing records could become bowl eligible in order to fill all 80 slots.

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 (7): Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, North Texas*, 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 (12): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State*, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt


• Sun Belt Conference (6): Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Idaho, Louisiana-Lafayette, South Alabama, Troy

Total : 80

Bowl ineligible teams

• 
  The American (5): SMU, Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Tulane
  


• 
  ACC (3): Duke, Syracuse, Virginia
  


• 
  Big Ten (4): Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue, Rutgers
  


• 
  Big 12 (4): Texas, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Kansas
  


• 
  Conference USA (6): Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Marshall, Rice, UTEP
  


• 
  Independent (2): Notre Dame, Massachusetts
  


• 
  MAC (6): Akron, Northern Illinois, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Kent State
  


• 
  Mountain West (5): Nevada, Fresno State, San Jose State, Utah State, UNLV
  


• 
  Pac-12 (6): Arizona State, California, Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA
  


• 
  SEC (2): Missouri, Ole Miss
  


• 
  Sun Belt (5): Georgia Southern, Louisiana–Monroe, Georgia State, New Mexico State, Texas State
  

Total : 48

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

Postseason

Since the 2014–15 postseason, six College Football Playoff (CFP) bowl games have hosted two semifinal playoff games on a rotating basis. For the 2016 season, the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl hosted 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.
ACC	12	9	3	.750
SEC	13	6	7	.462
C-USA	7	4	3	.571
MW	7	4	3	.571
Big 12	6	4	2	.667
Sun Belt	6	4	2	.667
Big Ten	10	3	7	.300
Pac-12	6	3	3	.500
The American	7	2	5	.286
Independents	2	2	0	1.000
MAC	6	0	6	.000

^[44]

College Football Playoff bracket

	Semifinals					2017 Championship Game
	December 31 – Peach Bowl Georgia Dome, Atlanta
	1	Alabama	24
	4	Washington	7			January 9 – Championship Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
						1	Alabama	31
	December 31 – Fiesta Bowl University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale					2	Clemson	35
	2	Clemson	31
	3	Ohio State	0

Rankings

Final CFP rankings

CFP	School	Record	Bowl game
1	Alabama	13–0	Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
2	Clemson	12–1	Fiesta Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
3	Ohio State	11–1	Fiesta Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
4	Washington	12–1	Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
5	Penn State	11–2	Rose Bowl
6	Michigan	10–2	Orange Bowl
7	Oklahoma	10–2	Sugar Bowl
8	Wisconsin	10–3	Cotton Bowl Classic
9	USC	9–3	Rose Bowl
10	Colorado	10–3	Alamo Bowl
11	Florida State	9–3	Orange Bowl
12	Oklahoma State	9–3	Alamo Bowl
13	Louisville	9–3	Citrus Bowl
14	Auburn	8–4	Sugar Bowl
15	Western Michigan	13–0	Cotton Bowl Classic
16	West Virginia	10–2	Russell Athletic Bowl
17	Florida	8–4	Outback Bowl
18	Stanford	9–3	Sun Bowl
19	Utah	8–4	Foster Farms Bowl
20	LSU	7–4	Citrus Bowl
21	Tennessee	8–4	Music City Bowl
22	Virginia Tech	9–4	Belk Bowl
23	Pittsburgh	8–4	Pinstripe Bowl
24	Temple	10–3	Military Bowl
25	Navy	9–3	Armed Forces Bowl

Final rankings

Rank	Associated Press	Coaches' Poll
1	Clemson	Clemson
2	Alabama	Alabama
3	USC	Oklahoma
4	Washington	Washington
5	Oklahoma	USC
6	Ohio State	Ohio State
7	Penn State	Penn State
8	Florida State	Florida State
9	Wisconsin	Wisconsin
10	Michigan	Michigan
11	Oklahoma State	Oklahoma State
12	Stanford	Stanford
13	LSU	Florida
14	Florida	LSU
15	Western Michigan	Colorado
16	Virginia Tech	Virginia Tech
17	Colorado	West Virginia
18	West Virginia	Western Michigan
19	USF	USF
20	Miami (FL)	Louisville
21	Louisville	Utah
22	Tennessee	Auburn
23	Utah	Miami (FL)
24	Auburn	Tennessee
25	San Diego State	San Diego State

Awards and honors

Heisman Trophy

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

• Lamar Jackson (QB), Louisville


• 
  Baker Mayfield (QB), Oklahoma
  


• 
  Jabrill Peppers (LB), Michigan
  


• 
  Deshaun Watson (QB), Clemson
  


• 
  Dede Westbrook (WR), Oklahoma

Other overall

• 
  Archie Griffin Award (MVP):Sam Darnold, USC
  


• 
  AP Player of the Year: Lamar Jackson, Louisville


• 
  Chic Harley Award (Player of the Year): Deshaun Watson, Clemson


• 
  Maxwell Award (top player): Lamar Jackson, Louisville


• 
  SN Player of the Year: Lamar Jackson, Louisville


• 
  Walter Camp Award (top player):Lamar Jackson, Louisville

Special overall

• 
  Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began as walk-on): Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma


• 
  Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player): Jabrill Peppers, Michigan


• 
  Campbell Trophy ("academic Heisman"): Zach Terrell, Western Michigan
  


• 
  Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete): Trevor Knight, Texas A&M
  


• POLY POY (Polynesian College Football Player of the Year): Sefo Liufau, Colorado
  

Offense

Quarterback

• 
  Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback): Deshaun Watson, Clemson


• 
  Johnny Unitas Award (senior/4th year quarterback): Deshaun Watson, Clemson


• 
  Kellen Moore Award (quarterback): Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma


• 
  Manning Award (quarterback): Deshaun Watson, Clemson


• 
  Sammy Baugh Trophy (passing quarterback): Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech

Running back

• 
  Doak Walker Award (running back): D'Onta Foreman, Texas
  


• 
  Jim Brown Trophy (running back): Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State

Wide receiver

• 
  Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver): Dede Westbrook, Oklahoma


• 
  Paul Warfield Trophy (wide receiver): Finalists: Corey Davis, Western Michigan

Tight end

• 
  John Mackey Award (tight end): Jake Butt, Michigan
  


• 
  Ozzie Newsome Award (tight end): Evan Engram, Ole Miss

Lineman

• 
  Dave Rimington Trophy (center): Pat Elflein, Ohio State
  


• 
  Jim Parker Trophy (offensive lineman): Pat Elflein, Ohio State

Defense

• 
  Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player): Jonathan Allen, Alabama


• 
  Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): Jonathan Allen, Alabama


• 
  Lott Trophy (defensive impact): Jabrill Peppers, Michigan

Defensive line

• 
  Bill Willis Award (defensive lineman): Ed Oliver, Houston
  


• 
  Dick Butkus Award (linebacker): Reuben Foster, Alabama


• 
  Jack Lambert Trophy (linebacker): Ben Boulware, Clemson


• 
  Rotary Lombardi Award (defensive lineman/linebacker): Jonathan Allen, Alabama


• 
  Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end): Jonathan Allen, Alabama

Defensive back

• 
  Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back): Adoree' Jackson, USC


• 
  Jack Tatum Trophy (defensive back): Tarvarus McFadden, Florida State

Special teams

• 
  Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Zane Gonzalez, Arizona State
  


• 
  Vlade Award (placekicker): Tyler Davis, Penn State
  


• 
  Ray Guy Award (punter): Mitch Wishnowsky, Utah
  


• 
  Jet Award (return specialist): Adoree' Jackson, USC


• 
  Peter Mortell Award (holder): Garrett Moores, Michigan
  

Other positional awards

• 
  Outland Trophy (interior lineman on either offense or defense): Cam Robinson, Alabama
  

Coaches

• 
  AFCA Coach of the Year: Mike MacIntyre, Colorado
  


• 
  AP Coach of the Year: Mike MacIntyre, Colorado

Assistants

• 
  AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year: Dan Brooks, Clemson


• 
  Broyles Award: Brent Venables, Clemson

All-Americans

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[45]	Jim Grobe (interim, bowl)
FIU	Ron Turner	September 25, 2016	Fired[46]	Ron Cooper (interim)
FIU	Ron Cooper (interim)	November 9, 2016	Permanent replacement	Butch Davis
Fresno State	Tim DeRuyter	October 23, 2016	Fired	Eric Kiesau (interim)
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
LSU	Les Miles	September 25, 2016	Fired	Ed Orgeron [a]
Purdue	Darrell Hazell	October 16, 2016	Fired	Gerad Parker (interim)
South Florida	Willie Taggart	December 11, 2016	Hired by Oregon	T. J. Weist (interim)
Temple	Matt Rhule	December 6, 2016	Hired by Baylor	Ed Foley (interim)
Western Kentucky	Jeff Brohm	December 5, 2016	Hired by Purdue	Nick Holt (interim)

End of season

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement
Baylor	Jim Grobe (interim, bowl)	December 6, 2016	Permanent replacement	Matt Rhule
California	Sonny Dykes	January 8, 2017	Fired	Justin Wilcox
Cincinnati	Tommy Tuberville	December 4, 2016	Resigned	Luke Fickell
Connecticut	Bob Diaco	December 26, 2016	Fired	Randy Edsall
Florida Atlantic	Charlie Partridge	November 27, 2016	Fired	Lane Kiffin
Georgia State	Tim Lappano (interim)	December 8, 2016	Permanent replacement	Shawn Elliott
Houston	Todd Orlando (interim, bowl)[a]	December 9, 2016	Permanent replacement	Major Applewhite
Indiana	Kevin Wilson	December 1, 2016	Resigned	Tom Allen
Minnesota	Tracy Claeys	January 3, 2017	Fired	P. J. Fleck
Nevada	Brian Polian	November 27, 2016	Resigned	Jay Norvell
Oregon	Mark Helfrich	November 29, 2016	Fired	Willie Taggart
Purdue	Gerad Parker (interim)	December 5, 2016	Permanent replacement	Jeff Brohm
San Jose State	Ron Caragher	November 27, 2016	Fired	Brent Brennan
South Florida	T. J. Weist (interim, bowl)	December 11, 2016	Permanent replacement	Charlie Strong
Temple	Ed Foley (interim, bowl)	December 13, 2016	Permanent replacement	Geoff Collins
Texas	Charlie Strong	November 26, 2016	Fired	Tom Herman
Western Kentucky	Nick Holt (interim, bowl)	December 12, 2016	Permanent replacement	Mike Sanford Jr.
Western Michigan	P. J. Fleck	January 6, 2017	Hired by Minnesota	Tim Lester

Television viewers and ratings

Most watched regular season games

Rank	Date	Matchup				Network	Viewers (millions)	TV Rating[49]	Significance
1	November 26, 12:00 ET	#3 Michigan	27	#2 Ohio State	30	ABC	16.84	9.4	The Game
2	September 4, 7:30 ET	#10 Notre Dame	47	Texas	50		10.94	6.4
3	November 5, 8:00 ET	#1 Alabama	10	#13 LSU	0	CBS	10.38	5.8	Rivalry
4	October 1, 8:00 ET	#3 Louisville	36	#5 Clemson	42	ABC	9.29	5.5
5	October 15, 8:00 ET	#2 Ohio State	30	#8 Wisconsin	23		8.96	5.6
6	October 22, 3:30 ET	#6 Texas A&M	14	#1 Alabama	33	CBS	8.46	5.1
7	September 5, 8:00 ET	#11 Ole Miss	34	#4 Florida State	45	ESPN	8.35	4.8	Camping World Kickoff
8	November 26, 3:30 ET	#13 Auburn	12	#1 Alabama	30	CBS	8.24	4.6	Iron Bowl
9	September 17, 3:30 ET	#1 Alabama	48	#19 Ole Miss	43		8.17	5.0	Rivalry
10	September 3, 8:00 ET	#20 USC	6	#1 Alabama	52	ABC	7.94	4.6	Advocare Classic

Conference championship games

Rank	Date	Matchup				Network	Viewers	TV Rating[50]	Conference	Location
1	December 3	#1 Alabama (West)	54	#15 Florida (East)	16	CBS	11.09 Million	6.6	SEC	Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
2	December 3	#6 Wisconsin (West)	31	#7 Penn State (East)	38	FOX	9.19 Million	5.2	Big Ten	Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
3	December 2	#8 Colorado (South)	10	#4 Washington (North)	41	FOX	5.67 Million	3.4	Pac-12	Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
4	December 3	#3 Clemson (Atlantic)	42	#23 Virginia Tech (Coastal)	35	ABC	5.34 Million	3.2	ACC	Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL[51]
5	December 3	#19 Navy (West)	10	Temple (East)	34	ABC	2.05 Million	1.4	AAC	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD
6	December 2	#17 Western Michigan (West)	29	Ohio (East)	23	ESPN2	1.36 Million	0.3	MAC	Ford Field, Detroit, MI
7	December 3	Western Kentucky (East)	58	Louisiana Tech (West)	44	ESPN	926K	0.6	C-USA	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY
8	December 3	San Diego State (West)	27	Wyoming (Mountain)	24	ESPN	713K	0.4	MW	War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, WY

College Football Playoff

Game	Date	Matchup				Network	Viewers (millions)	TV Rating[52]	Location
Peach Bowl (semifinal)	December 31, 2016, 3:00 ET	#4 Washington	7	#1 Alabama	24	ESPN	19.34	10.7	Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
Fiesta Bowl (semifinal)	December 31, 2016, 7:00 ET	#3 Ohio State	0	#2 Clemson	31		19.23	9.8	University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
National Championship	January 9, 2017, 8:30 ET	#2 Clemson	35	#1 Alabama	31		25.27	14.2	Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL

Attendance

2016 NCAA Division I FBS football teams average home attendances:^[53]

Team	Home average
Michigan	110,468
Ohio State	107,278
Texas A&M	101,917
Alabama	101,821
LSU	101,231
Tennessee	100,968
Penn State	100,257
Texas	97,881
Georgia	92,746
Nebraska	90,200
Florida	87,846
Auburn	86,937
Oklahoma	86,857
Clemson	80,970
Notre Dame	80,795
Wisconsin	79,357
South Carolina	76,920
Florida State	76,800
Michigan State	74,667
Iowa	69,656
Arkansas	69,581
USC	68,459
UCLA	67,459
Ole Miss	64,910
Washington	64,589
Virginia Tech	63,043
Miami	58,572
BYU	58,569
Mississippi State	58,317
Texas Tech	58,250
West Virginia	57,583
NC State	57,497
Oregon	54,677
Louisville	54,065
Oklahoma State	53,814
Kentucky	53,643
Iowa State	52,557
Missouri	52,236
Kansas State	51,919
North Carolina	50,250
Arizona	48,288
Arizona State	47,736
Georgia Tech	47,503
California	46,628
Colorado	46,609
Utah	46,506
Pittsburgh	46,076
Baylor	45,838
Illinois	45,644
TCU	45,168
Rutgers	44,804
Stanford	44,142
East Carolina	44,113
Minnesota	43,814
Indiana	43,027
Virginia	39,929
Maryland	39,615
Houston	38,953
Oregon State	37,622
South Florida	37,539
Memphis	37,346
San Diego State	37,289
UCF	35,802
Northwestern	34,798
Purdue	34,451
Boise State	34,273
Cincinnati	33,585
Syracuse	32,805
Army	32,653
Boston College	32,157
Washington State	31,675
Navy	31,571
Vanderbilt	31,242
Duke	29,895
Air Force	29,587
Southern Miss	28,588
Colorado State	27,600
Temple	27,225
Connecticut	26,796
Wake Forest	26,456
Appalachian State	26,153
Kansas	25,828
Fresno State	25,493
Marshall	24,760
Hawai'i	24,521
Western Michigan	23,838
SMU	23,712
UTSA	23,038
UTEP	23,001
Tulane	22,718
Arkansas State	22,700
Troy	22,534
Rice	21,425
Wyoming	21,266
Ohio	21,190
Georgia Southern	20,819
Toledo	20,628
Louisiana Tech	20,412
Louisiana-Lafayette	20,224
Old Dominion	20,118
North Texas	19,878
Tulsa	19,234
Utah State	19,136
New Mexico	18,708
Nevada	18,501
UNLV	18,389
Texas State	18,120
Western Kentucky	17,705
Eastern Michigan	17,677
Buffalo	17,493
Central Michigan	17,408
Middle Tennessee	17,243
Miami (Ohio)	17,110
FIU	16,789
South Alabama	16,250
San José State	15,419
Bowling Green	15,140
Georgia State	15,103
Massachusetts	14,510
Charlotte	14,192
Louisiana-Monroe	12,610
Idaho	11,190
Northern Illinois	11,019
Kent State	10,898
Akron	10,337
FAU	10,073
New Mexico State	9,545
Ball State	7,789

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 NAIA football season

Footnotes

References

External links

• 
  Media related to 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season at Wikimedia Commons