1976 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

1976 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 36–6 vs. UCLA
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
APNo. 11
Record9–3 (5–2 SEC)
Head coach
Captains
Home stadiumBryant–Denny Stadium
Legion Field
Seasons
← 1975
1977 →
1976 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 10 Georgia $ 5 1 0 10 2 0
No. 11 Alabama 5 2 0 9 3 0
No. 20 Mississippi State 4 2 0 9 2 0
Florida 4 2 0 8 4 0
No. 18 Kentucky 4 2 0 8 4 0
LSU 3 3 0 6 4 1
Auburn 3 3 0 4 7 0
Ole Miss 3 4 0 5 6 0
Tennessee 2 4 0 6 5 0
Vanderbilt 0 6 0 2 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Mississippi State later forfeited all 1976 wins due to NCAA violations.
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1976 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 82nd overall and 43rd season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his 19th year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished season with nine wins and three losses (9–3 overall, 5–2 in the SEC) and with a victory over UCLA in the Liberty Bowl.

The Crimson Tide opened the season with an upset loss against Ole Miss. The loss ended a 20-game conference winning streak that dated back to their 1972 season. They rebounded from the loss with wins over both SMU and Vanderbilt, but then were shutout by Georgia in their fourth game. The shutout was the first for the Crimson Tide since their 1970 season, and with the loss Alabama also dropped out of the polls for the first time since 1970.

The Crimson Tide again bounced back from the loss and won their next five games. These wins included victories over Southern Miss, Tennessee, Louisville, Mississippi State and LSU. Alabama next lost their third game of the season in a much anticipated match-up at Notre Dame. They then closed the season with a victory over rival Auburn and UCLA in the Liberty Bowl.