American college football season
The 1996 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coach Nick Saban, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 6–6 with a mark of 5–3, tying for fifth place in the Big Ten. Michigan State was invited to the Sun Bowl, where they lost to Stanford, 38–0, on December 31. The team played home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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August 31 | 12:30 p.m. | Purdue | | ESPN | W 52–14 | 72,511 |
September 7 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 1 Nebraska* | | ABC | L 14–55 | 75,590 |
September 21 | 1:00 p.m. | Louisville* | - Spartan Stadium
- East Lansing, MI
| | L 20–30 | 70,311 |
September 28 | 12:30 p.m. | Eastern Michigan* | - Spartan Stadium
- East Lansing, MI
| SCD | W 47–0 | 69,941 |
October 5 | 2:00 p.m. | at Iowa | | | L 30–37 | 70,397 |
October 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Illinois![dagger](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Dagger-14-plain.png) | - Spartan Stadium
- East Lansing, MI
| ESPN+ | W 42–14 | 71,639 |
October 19 | 4:00 p.m. | at Minnesota | | | W 27–9 | 45,434 |
October 26 | 12:30 p.m. | Wisconsin | - Spartan Stadium
- East Lansing, MI
| ESPN2 | W 30–13 | 69,217 |
November 2 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 9 Michigan | | ABC | L 29–45 | 106,381 |
November 9 | 1:00 p.m. | Indiana | - Spartan Stadium
- East Lansing, MI (rivalry)
| | W 38–15 | 64,719 |
November 23 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 7 Penn State | | ABC | L 29–32 | 96,263 |
December 31 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. Stanford* | | CBS | L 0–38 | 42,271 |
- *Non-conference game
Homecoming- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Eastern time
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Halftime of the Michigan State vs. Illinois game on October 12 1996 Michigan State Spartans football team roster |
Players | Coaches |
Offense Pos. | # | Name | Class | OT | 76 | Flozell Adams | Jr | OL | 75 | Shane Adkins | Fr | OT | 60 | Mike Brzezinski | Fr | QB | 16 | Bill Burke | Fr | TE | 83 | Josh Keur | Jr | WR | 80 | Derrick Mason | Sr | WR | 7 | LaVaile Richardson | Fr | QB | 9 | Todd Schultz | Jr | G | 73 | Scott Shaw | Jr | | Defense | Special teams | - Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
Injured Redshirt Roster |
The following players were selected in the 1997 NFL draft.
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Venues | |
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Bowls & rivalries | |
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Culture & lore | |
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People | |
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Seasons | |
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National championship seasons in bold |