1996 Kansas State Wildcats football team

1996 Kansas State Wildcats football
Cotton Bowl Classic, L 15–19 vs. BYU
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
DivisionNorth
Ranking
CoachesNo. 17
APNo. 17
Record9–3 (6–2 Big 12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDana Dimel (2nd season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Co-defensive coordinatorBob Cope (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinatorMike Stoops (1st season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumKSU Stadium
Seasons
← 1995
1997 →
1996 Big 12 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
North Division
No. 6 Nebraska x%   8 0     11 2  
No. 8 Colorado   7 1     10 2  
No. 17 Kansas State   6 2     9 3  
Missouri   3 5     5 6  
Kansas   2 6     4 7  
Iowa State   1 7     2 9  
South Division
No. 23 Texas x$   6 2     8 5  
Texas Tech   5 3     7 5  
Texas A&M   4 4     6 6  
Oklahoma   3 5     3 8  
Oklahoma State   2 6     5 6  
Baylor   1 7     4 7  
Championship: Texas 37, Nebraska 27
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • $ – Bowl Alliance representative as champion
    % – Bowl Alliance at-large representative
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1996 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. 1996 saw the Wildcats finish with a record of 9–3, and a 6–2 record in Big 12 Conference play.

The season ended with a loss against fifth-ranked BYU in the 1997 Cotton Bowl Classic—the school's first appearance in a traditional New Year's Day bowl game. 1996 was also the first year of competition for the Big 12 Conference, and Kansas State's home game against Texas Tech was the first athletic event in Big 12 history.