1996 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team

1996 Eastern Illinois Panthers football
ConferenceOhio Valley Conference
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 16
Record8–4 (6–2 OVC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorRoy Wittke (7th season)
Home stadiumO'Brien Stadium
1996 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 4 Murray State $^   8 0     11 2  
No. 16 Eastern Illinois ^   6 2     8 4  
Eastern Kentucky   6 2     6 5  
Middle Tennessee   4 4     6 5  
Tennessee Tech   4 4     5 6  
Tennessee State   3 5     4 7  
Southeast Missouri State   3 5     3 8  
Austin Peay   1 7     1 10  
Tennessee–Martin   1 7     1 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1996 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team represented Eastern Illinois University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by tenth-year head coach Bob Spoo, the Panthers compiled and overall record of 8–4 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the OVC. Eastern Illinois was invited to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they lost to Northern Iowa in the first round.