1996 San Jose State Spartans football team

The 1996 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State University during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. 1996 was the first year San Jose State was a member of the Western Athletic Conference. They had previously been a member of the Big West Conference since its formation in 1969 as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA).

1996 San Jose State Spartans football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
	Pacific Division
1996 record	3–9 (3–5 WAC)
Head coach	John Ralston (4th season)
Home stadium	Spartan Stadium (Capacity: 31,218)

1996 Western Athletic Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Mountain Division
No. 5 BYU x$		8	–	0					14	–	1
Utah		6	–	2					8	–	4
Rice		6	–	2					7	–	4
SMU		4	–	4					5	–	6
New Mexico		3	–	5					6	–	5
TCU		3	–	5					4	–	7
Tulsa		2	–	6					4	–	7
UTEP		0	–	8					2	–	9
Pacific Division
No. 22 Wyoming x		7	–	1					10	–	2
San Diego State		6	–	2					8	–	3
Colorado State		6	–	2					7	–	5
Air Force		5	–	3					6	–	5
Fresno State		3	–	5					4	–	7
San Jose State		3	–	5					3	–	9
Hawaii		1	–	7					2	–	10
UNLV		1	–	8					1	–	11
Championship: BYU 28, Wyoming 25 ^OT
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The team was led by head coach John Ralston, in his fourth year as head coach at San Jose State. They played home games at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. The Spartans finished the 1996 season with a record of three wins and nine losses (3–9, 3–5 WAC).

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	at Air Force	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, Colorado		L 0–45
September 7	California*	Spartan Stadium San Jose, California		L 25–45	22,647
September 14	at Stanford*	Stanford Stadium Stanford, California (rivalry)		L 2–25	34,150
September 21	UTEP	Spartan Stadium San Jose, California		W 26–25
September 28	at Washington State*	Martin Stadium Pullman, Washington		L 16–52	24,195[1]
October 5	No. 25 Wyoming	Spartan Stadium San Jose, California		L 22–45	8,756
October 12	at Fresno State[note 1]	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, California (rivalry)		L 18–28	8,526[2]
October 19	at Colorado State	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, Colorado		L 13–36
November 2	San Diego State	Spartan Stadium San Jose, California	ABC	L 20–49	11,483[3]
November 9	at Hawaii	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI		W 38–17	30,300[4]
November 16	at No. 15 Washington*	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA		L 10–53	70,063[5]
November 23	UNLV	Spartan Stadium San Jose, California		W 31–28	7,358[6]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from no poll released prior to the game

[7] [8]

Team players in the NFL

No San Jose State Spartans were selected in the 1997 NFL Draft.[9]

Notes

1. The official name of Fresno State has been California State University, Fresno since 1972. However, it is still commonly known as Fresno State.

References

1. "2016 Washington State Media Guide" (PDF). WSUCougars.com. Washington State Cougars Athletics. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
2. "Fresno State 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2016.
3. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
4. "Hawaii Rainbow Warrior Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). p. 131. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
5. "Washington 2016 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved February 14, 2007.
6. "2016 UNLV Rebel Football Light the Fuse". Retrieved February 14, 2007.
7. "San Jose State 1996 Schedule". Retrieved 16 December 2016.
8. "San Jose State 2016 Football Media Guide". Retrieved 16 December 2016.
9. "1997 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2016.