The1996 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented theUniversity of Alabama as a member of the Western Division of theSoutheastern Conference (SEC) during the1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led byGene Stallings in his seventh and final season as head coach, the Crimson Tide compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, SEC's Western Division title withLSU. By virtue of a head-to-head win over Tigers, Alabama advanced to theSEC Championship Game, where the Crimson Tide lost to the eventualnational championFlorida. Alabama was then invited to theOutback Bowl, defeatingMichigan in the game. The team played home games atBryant–Denny Stadium inTuscaloosa, Alabama, andLegion Field inBirmingham, Alabama.

Alabama's loss toMississippi State on November 16 broke a 15-game winning streak Alabama had in the series, and was the Crimon Tide's first loss to the Bulldogs since a dramatic upset that Bulldogs posted over the top-ranked Tide in 1980. Following a victory in the annualIron Bowl on November 23, Stallings announced his retirement, effective at the end of the season.^[1]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	2:00 p.m.	Bowling Green*	No. 13	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	PPV	W 21–7	76,878	[2]
September 7	11:30 a.m.	Southern Miss*	No. 14	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	JPS	W 20–10	82,338	[3]
September 14	5:00 p.m.	Vanderbilt	No. 13	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	ESPN2	W 36–26	70,123	[4]
September 21	11:30 a.m.	atArkansas	No. 13	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR	JPS	W 17–7	54,827	[5]
October 5	1:00 p.m.	Kentucky	No. 13	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	PPV	W 35–7	70,123	[6]
October 12	2:30 p.m.	atNC State*	No. 8	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC	ABC	W 24–19	50,750	[7]
October 19	5:00 p.m.	Ole Miss	No. 7	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	ESPN2	W 37–0	70,123	[8]
October 26	2:30 p.m.	at No. 6Tennessee	No. 7	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October)	CBS	L 13–20	106,700	[9]
November 9	6:30 p.m.	at No. 11LSU	No. 10	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry,College GameDay)	ESPN	W 26–0	80,290	[10]
November 16	8:00 p.m.	atMississippi State	No. 8	Scott Field Starkville, MS (rivalry)	ESPN	L 16–17	40,050	[11]
November 23	6:30 p.m.	Auburn	No. 15	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Iron Bowl,College GameDay)	ESPN	W 24–23	83,091	[12]
December 7	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 4Florida	No. 11	Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA (SEC Championship Game,rivalry)	ABC	L 30–45	74,132	[13]
January 1, 1997	10:00 a.m.	vs. No. 15Michigan*	No. 16	Houlihan's Stadium Tampa, FL (Outback Bowl)	ESPN	W 17–14	53,161	[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings fromAP Poll released prior to the game All times are inCentral time

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Alabama kicked off the season with a commanding 21–7 victory over newly reclassified Division I opponent Bowling Green, extending their streak to six straight season-opening wins. The Crimson Tide’s balanced attack and stout defense set the tone early, with key plays that stifled Bowling Green’s offense and secured a confident start to the campaign.

Alabama’s defense dominated once again, holding Southern Miss to just 109 yards of offense as the Crimson Tide secured their sixth consecutive victory over the Golden Eagles.

In the first home game of the 1996 season atBryant-Denny Stadium, a fierce shootout erupted as the Crimson Tide unleashed a relentless 21-point surge in the third quarter, overwhelming the Commodores and thrilling the crowd en route to a 36–26 victory

A defensive struggle goes the Crimson Tide way as they avenge their loss of a year ago to Arkansas.

Former Alabama coachBill Curry returned to Tuscaloosa for the first time since leaving Alabama for Kentucky in 1989. Despite being heavy underdogs, Curry's Wildcats forced a 7-7 tie at halftime which brought a chorus of boos from the homecoming crowd. The Crimson Tide then would use a 28 point third quarter to beat Kentucky.

Despite giving up a season high 418 yards of offense, The Crimson Tide survived on the road to stay undefeated.

The Crimson Tide put its most complete game together to date in 1996 to roll to a shutout win of Ole Miss.

Tennessee used 14 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to beat Alabama for the second year in a row and for the first time in Knoxville since 1984.

For the second time in three games, Alabama defense would shut out its opponent. The Crimson tide offense went through one man Redshirt FreshmanShaun Alexander rushed for a School record 291 yards and all four Alabama touchdowns.

For the first time since 1980, Alabama would lose to Mississippi State in one of the biggest upset of theGene Stallings era.

Alabama would pounce on Auburn early with 17 straight points to begin the game. Auburn would respond with 23 unanswered to lead by 6 late in the fourth quarter. Alabama would drive 74 yards to score on a 6-yard swing pass fromFreddie Kitchens to Dennis Riddle to tie the game. Jon Brock extra point would give Alabama the one-point lead and eventual win to clinch the SEC West. After the game,Gene Stallings officially announced his retirement as Alabama head coach at the end of the season.

Alabama would be in its fourth SEC Championship game in five seasons and once again would face Florida, as they had the previous three meetings. The Gators would use nearly 500 yards of offense to win its fourth straight SEC title, a record that still holds to this day.

Two 4th quarter touchdowns proved to be enough as Alabama would win its 10th game of the season and the 70th and final forGene Stallings as head coach.

• 1996 Southeastern Conference football season
• Alabama Crimson Tide football seasons
• ReliaQuest Bowl champion seasons
• 1996 in sports in Alabama

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