The 1996 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University as a member of the Big East Conference during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 17th-year head coach Don Nehlen, the Mountaineers compiled an overall record of 8âÂÂ4 with a mark of 4âÂÂ3 in conference play, placing fourth in the Big East. West Virginia was invited to the Gator Bowl, where the Mountaineers lost to North Carolina. The team played home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia.