The 2016 Indiana State Sycamores football team represented Indiana State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by Mike Sanford Sr. in his fourth and final season as head coach, the Sycamores compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a mark of 2–6 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for eighth in the MVFC. Indiana State played home games at Memorial Stadium in Terre Haute, Indiana.
On December 16, Sanford resigned to join the staff at Western Kentucky, where his son, Mike Sanford Jr., had recently been named head coach.[1] He left Indiana State with a four-year record of 18–30.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|
| September 3 | 3:00 pm | Butler* | | | ESPN3 | W 41–25 | 5,625 |
| September 10 | 12:00 pm | at Minnesota* | | | ESPNews | L 28–58 | 41,026 |
| September 17 | 7:00 pm | at Southeast Missouri State* | | | OVCDN | W 27–24 | 7,637 |
| September 24 | 3:00 pm | No. 9 Illinois State | | - Memorial Stadium
- Terre Haute, IN
| ESPN3 | W 34–31 | 6,561 |
| October 1 | 3:00 pm | Missouri State | No. 24 | - Memorial Stadium
- Terre Haute, IN
| ESPN3 | L 24–45 | 6,871 |
| October 8 | 4:00 pm | at No. 13 Western Illinois | | | ESPN3 | L 35–36 | 5,487 |
| October 15 | 3:00 pm | South Dakota | | - Memorial Stadium
- Terre Haute, IN
| ESPN3 | L 30–33 2OT | 3,297 |
| October 22 | 3:00 pm | at Southern Illinois | | | ESPN3 | W 22–14 | 9,603 |
| October 29 | 2:00 pm | at Youngstown State | | | ESPN3 | L 10–13 | 15,082 |
| November 5 | 1:00 pm | Northern Iowa | | - Memorial Stadium
- Terre Haute, IN
| ESPN3 | L 6–39 | 3,409 |
| November 12 | 3:30 pm | at No. 4 North Dakota State | | | ESPN3 | L 17–41 | 18,276 |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Eastern time
|
[2][3][4]
Rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes | Week |
|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
|---|
| STATS FCS | RV | RV | — | RV | 24 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
|---|
| Coaches | — | RV | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
|---|
Game summaries
Butler
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Bulldogs
|
0
|
6
|
6
|
13 |
25 |
| Sycamores
|
14
|
3
|
21
|
3 |
41 |
At Minnesota
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Sycamores
|
7
|
0
|
14
|
7 |
28 |
| Golden Gophers
|
14
|
24
|
10
|
10 |
58 |
At Southeast Missouri State
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Sycamores
|
7
|
3
|
3
|
14 |
27 |
| Redhawks
|
7
|
3
|
7
|
7 |
24 |
Illinois State
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| #9 Redbirds
|
0
|
7
|
7
|
17 |
31 |
| Sycamores
|
7
|
10
|
7
|
10 |
34 |
Missouri State
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Bears
|
10
|
14
|
7
|
14 |
45 |
| #24 Sycamores
|
14
|
10
|
0
|
0 |
24 |
At Western Illinois
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Sycamores
|
7
|
7
|
21
|
0 |
35 |
| #13 Leathernecks
|
0
|
20
|
7
|
9 |
36 |
South Dakota
|
|
|
|
|
| | |
Total |
| Coyotes
|
17
|
0
|
10
|
0 | 3 | 3 |
33 |
| Sycamores
|
10
|
0
|
7
|
10 | 3 | 0 |
30 |
At Southern Illinois
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Sycamores
|
3
|
7
|
6
|
6 |
22 |
| Salukis
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
7 |
14 |
At Youngstown State
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Sycamores
|
10
|
0
|
0
|
0 |
10 |
| Penguins
|
0
|
6
|
0
|
7 |
13 |
Northern Iowa
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Panthers
|
13
|
14
|
6
|
6 |
39 |
| Sycamores
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
0 |
6 |
At North Dakota State
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Sycamores
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
10 |
17 |
| #4 Bison
|
21
|
13
|
7
|
0 |
41 |
References
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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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