| Year: | 1996 |
| Team: | North Texas Mean Green |
| Conference: | Big West Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big West |
| Record: | 5-6 |
| Conf Record: | 3-2 |
| Hc Year: | 3rd |
| Def Coach: | Fred Bleil |
| Dc Year: | 1st |
| Stadium: | Fouts Field (Capacity: 30,500) |
The 1996 North Texas Mean Green football team represented the University of North Texas in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Mean Green played their home games at the Fouts Field in Denton, Texas, and competed in the Big West Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Matt Simon. The team finished the regular season with a 5-6 overall record with a 3-2 mark in Big West play.
The 1996 campaign marked the first time North Texas had been in a Division I-A conference since leaving the Missouri Valley Conference after the 1974 season. The Mean Green had competed as a Division I-A independent from 1975 to 1982, before dropping down to the Division I-AA Southland Conference from 1983 to 1994. North Texas spent the 1995 season as a transitional Division I-A member and competed as an independent.