| Year: | 1976 |
| Team: | BYU Cougars |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Western Athletic Conference |
| Short Conf: | WAC |
| Record: | 9–3 |
| Conf Record: | 6–1 |
| Head Coach: | LaVell Edwards |
| Hc Year: | 5th |
| Off Coach: | Doug Scovil |
| Oc Year: | 1st |
| Off Scheme: | West Coast |
| Def Coach: | Dick Felt |
| Dc Year: | 5th |
| Def Scheme: | 3–4 |
| Stadium: | Cougar Stadium |
| Champion: | WAC co-champion |
| Bowl: | Tangerine Bowl |
| Bowl Result: | L 21–49 vs. Oklahoma State |
The 1976 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. The Cougars were led by fifth-year head coach LaVell Edwards and played their home games at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. The team competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, winning a share of the conference title with Wyoming with a conference record of 6 - 1. BYU was invited to the 1976 Tangerine Bowl, where they lost to Oklahoma State.
Gifford Nielsen completed 13 of 32 passes for 174 yards before leaving late in the final quarter while John VanDerWouden set a single-game conference record with four touchdown receptions. LaVell Edwards beat Colorado State for the first time since taking over BYU in 1972.[3]