| Year: | 1976 |
| Team: | SMU Mustangs |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Southwest Conference |
| Short Conf: | SWC |
| Record: | 3–8 |
| Conf Record: | 2–6 |
| Head Coach: | Ron Meyer |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Off Scheme: | Wishbone |
| Def Coach: | Steve Sidwell |
| Dc Year: | 1st |
| Def Scheme: | 3–4 |
The 1976 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University (SMU) as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. Led by first-year head coach Ron Meyer, the Mustangs compiled an overall record of 3–8 (2–6 in SWC, seventh).[1]
Hired in January, Meyer was previously the head coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), then in Division II.[2]