1916 college football season
{{Short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college football season
| year = 1916
| image = Utah_vs._Colorado_1916.jpg
| image_size= 250
| image_caption = Colorado–Utah kickoff
| number_of_teams =
| preseason_ap =
| regular_season =
| number_of_bowls = 1
| bowl_start =
| bowl_end =
| champion = Army
Pittsburgh
| heisman = Not awarded until 1935
}}
The 1916 college football season had no very clear cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing Army and Pittsburgh as national champions.{{cite book | url=http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/football_records/DI/2009/2009FBS.pdf | title=Official 2009 NCAA Division I Football Records Book | pages=76–77 | publisher=The National Collegiate Athletic Association | date=August 2009 | location=Indianapolis, IN | access-date=2009-10-16}} Both Army and Pittsburgh claim a national championship for the 1916 season. Georgetown led the nation in scoring with 464 points.
Conference changes
- Two conferences began play in 1916:
- Pacific Coast Conference – a precursor to the modern Pac-12 Conference; four founding members from California, Oregon, and Washington.
- Nebraska Intercollegiate Conference – an NAIA conference active through the 1976 season
- One conference played its final season in 1916:
- Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Association – active since the 1914 season; several members subsequently joined the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, an active NAIA conference now known as the River States Conference
=Membership changes=
| class="wikitable sortable"
! School !! 1915 Conference !! 1916 Conference | ||
| style="text-align:center;" | Independent | PCC |
| style="text-align:center;" | Independent | SIAA |
| style="text-align:center;" | Independent | SIAA |
| style="text-align:center;" | Independent | PCC |
| style="text-align:center;" | Independent | PCC |
| style="text-align:center;" | Independent | SIAA |
| style="text-align:center;" | Independent | PCC |
| style="text-align:center;" | Independent | SAIAA |
Large scores
Georgia Tech defeated Cumberland 222 to 0. Sewanee also beat Cumberland 107 to 0.
Rose Bowl
Oregon defeated Penn, 14–0, in the 1917 Rose Bowl.
Conference standings
=Major conference standings=
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Missouri Valley Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Northwest Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Pacific Coast Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Southwest Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Western Conference football standings}} |
=Independents=
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Eastern college football independents records}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Midwestern college football independents records}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Southern college football independents records}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Western college football independents records}} |
=Minor conferences=
| class="wikitable" width="60%"
!style="background:#0054B3; color:#FFFFFF;" |Conference !style="background:#0054B3; color:#FFFFFF;" |Champion(s) !style="background:#0054B3; color:#FFFFFF;" |Record |
| align="left"
| Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 3–0 |
| align="left"
| Indiana College Athletic League | Wabash | — |
| align="left"
| Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of Wisconsin | 5–0 |
| align="left"
| Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | 5–1–1 |
| align="left"
| Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Association | — |
| align="left"
| Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Southwestern Louisiana Industrial | 5–0 |
| align="left"
| Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 4–0 |
| align="left"
| Nebraska Intercollegiate Conference | 7–0 |
| align="left"
| 6–0–1 |
| align="left"
| Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference | Kendall | 4–0 |
| align="left"
| Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3–0–1 |
| align="left"
| Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Fisk | — |
=Minor conference standings=
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Eastern Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Southern California Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1916 Wisconsin Normal Athletic Conference football standings}} |
Awards and honors
=All-Americans=
{{main|1916 College Football All-America Team}}
The consensus All-America team included:
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%"
!Position !Name !Height !Weight (lbs.) !Class !Hometown !Team |
| QB
|5'9" |165 |Sr. |
| HB
|5'11" |171 |So. |
| HB
|5'9" |165 |Sr. |Chicago, Illinois |
| FB
|5'7" |180 |Jr. |Army |
| E
|6'1" |170 |Sr. |
| T
|6'2" |195 |Sr. |
| G
| | |Sr. |Yale |
| G
|6'0" |235 |Sr. |
| C
|5'9" |179 |Jr. |
| G
|6'2" |193 |Sr. |
| T
| | |Sr. |
| E
| | |Sr. |
Statistical leaders
- Team scoring most points: Georgetown, 464 to 32. (including mid majors, Tulsa 566 to 40)
- Player scoring most points: Johnny Gilroy, Georgetown, 160