The 1896 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing Lafayette and Princeton as having been selected national champions.[1] Lafayette finished with an 11â0â1 record while Princeton had a 10â0â1 record. In the second game of the season for both teams, Lafayette and Princeton played to a scoreless tie. Both teams had signature wins: Lafayette defeated Penn 6â4, giving the Quakers their only loss of the season, while Princeton defeated previously unbeaten Yale, 24â6, on Thanksgiving Day in the last game of the season. Princeton was retroactively named the 1896 national champions by the Billingsley Report, the Helms Athletic Foundation, the Houlgate System, and Lafayette and Princeton were named national co-champions by the National Championship Foundation and Parke Davis.
Total No. of teams30
RegularseasonSeptember 12 to December 19
Quick facts Total No. of teams, Regular season ...
| 1896 college football season |
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 Lafayette on defense in its 6â4 upset victory over Pennsylvania |
| Total No. of teams | 30 |
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| Regular season | September 12 to December 19 |
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| Champion(s) | Lafayette
Princeton |
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