| Sport: | football |
| Year: | 2016 |
| Team: | Washington State Cougars |
| Conference: | Pac-12 Conference |
| Division: | North Division |
| Short Conf: | Pac-12 |
| Record: | 8–5 |
| Conf Record: | 7–2 |
| Hc Year: | 5th |
| Dc Year: | 2nd |
The 2016 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by fifth-year head coach Mike Leach and played their home games at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington. They were members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 8–5, 7–2 in Pac-12 play to finish in second place in the North Division. They were invited to the Holiday Bowl where they were defeated by Minnesota.
Conference opponents not played this season: Utah, USC
See also: 2016 Eastern Washington Eagles football team.
See also: 2016 Boise State Broncos football team.
See also: 2016 Idaho Vandals football team and Battle of the Palouse.
See also: 2016 Oregon Ducks football team.
See also: 2016 Stanford Cardinal football team.
See also: 2016 UCLA Bruins football team.
See also: 2016 Arizona State Sun Devils football team.
See also: 2016 Oregon State Beavers football team.
See also: 2016 Arizona Wildcats football team.
See also: 2016 California Golden Bears football team.
See also: 2016 Colorado Buffaloes football team.
See also: 2016 Washington Huskies football team and Apple Cup.
See also: 2016 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team and 2016 Holiday Bowl.
| Name | Title | Years at WSU | Alma mater | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | 6 | BYU, 1983 | ||
| Defensive coordinator/secondary coach | 3 | Mount Union, 2002 | ||
| Jason Loscalzo | Strength and conditioning coach | 6 | Humboldt State, 1999 | |
| Outside linebackers coach | 3 | Michigan, 2004 | ||
| Jim Mastro | Running backs coach | 6 | Cal Poly, 1994 | |
| Clay McGuire | Offensive line coach | 6 | Texas Tech, 2004 | |
| Eric Mele | Special teams coach | 3 | William Paterson, 2002 | |
| Dave Nichol | Outside receivers coach | 2 | Texas Tech, 1999 | |
| Linebackers coach | 4 | North Central, 1986 | ||
| Defensive quality control coach | 2 | Southeastern Oklahoma State, 2004 |