The 1996 Arkansas State Indians football team represented Arkansas State University as an independent during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by John Bobo in his fourth and final season as head coach, the Indians compiled a record of 4–7.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	at No. 19 BYU	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	L 9–58	63,681
September 7	Austin Peay	Indian Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 24–0
September 14	at UAB	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	L 17–42	18,236	[1]
September 21	Northern Illinois	Indian Stadium Jonesboro, AR	L 30–31	12,217
October 5	Central Arkansas	Indian Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 17–7
October 12	at Southwestern Louisiana	Cajun Field Lafayette, LA	L 31–42
October 19	Southeast Missouri State	Indian Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 38–9
October 26	at Ole Miss	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	L 21–38	28,176
November 2	at East Carolina	Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	L 16–34	24,890	[2]
November 9	Louisiana Tech	Indian Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 55–38	9,642	[3]
November 16	at Nevada	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	L 14–66	18,733
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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Roster