The 2016 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Tim Walsh, Cal Poly compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the Big Sky. The Mustangs received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they lost to San Diego in the first round. The team played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|
| September 3 | 6:30 pm | at Nevada* | | | Campus Insiders | L 27–30 OT | 19,138 |
| September 10 | 6:05 pm | San Diego* | | | GoPoly | W 38–16 | 6,251 |
| September 17 | 4:00 pm | at No. 9 South Dakota State* | | | ESPN3 | W 38–31 | 16,887 |
| September 24 | 12:00 pm | No. 6 Montana | | - Alex G. Spanos Stadium
- San Luis Obispo, CA
| RTNW | W 42–41 | 8,156 |
| October 1 | 11:00 am | at North Dakota | No. 16 | | Midco SN | L 24–31 | 10,097 |
| October 15 | 2:30 pm | at Portland State | No. 19 | | GoPoly | W 55–35 | 4,019 |
| October 22 | 6:05 pm | UC Davis | No. T–17 | | GoPoly | W 21–16 | 11,075 |
| October 29 | 6:00 pm | at Sacramento State | No. 14 | | GoPoly | W 59–47 | 5,334 |
| November 5 | 6:05 pm | No. 3 Eastern Washington | No. 14 | - Alex G. Spanos Stadium
- San Luis Obispo, CA
| GoPoly | L 21–42 | 9,722 |
| November 12 | 11:00 am | at Weber State | No. 16 | | KJZZ | L 15–22 | 7,821 |
| November 19 | 6:05 pm | Northern Colorado | No. 21 | - Alex G. Spanos Stadium
- San Luis Obispo, CA
| GoPoly | W 55–48 | 6,863 |
| November 26 | 4:00 pm | No. 24 San Diego* | No. 21 | | ESPN3 | L 21–35 | 3,356 |
- *Non-conference game
Homecoming- Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Pacific time
|
[1][2][3]
Rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below | Week |
|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
|---|
| STATS FCS | — | RV | RV | RV | 16 | 21 | 19 | 17–T | 14 | 14 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 24 |
|---|
| Coaches | — | RV | RV | RV | 18 | 22 | 20 | 18–T | 17 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 20 | 21–T |
|---|
Game summaries
At Nevada
| | | | | | | Total |
| Mustangs | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 27 |
| Wolf Pack | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 30 |
San Diego
| | | | | | Total |
| Toreros | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| Mustangs | 10 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
At South Dakota State
| | | | | | Total |
| Mustangs | 7 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 38 |
| #9 Jackrabbits | 7 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
Montana
| | | | | | Total |
| #6 Grizzlies | 7 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 41 |
| Mustangs | 7 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
At North Dakota
| | | | | | Total |
| #16 Mustangs | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| Fighting Hawks | 10 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
At Portland State
| | | | | | Total |
| #19 Mustangs | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 55 |
| Vikings | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
UC Davis
| | | | | | Total |
| Aggies | 6 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 16 |
| #17–T Mustangs | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
At Sacramento State
| | | | | | Total |
| #14 Mustangs | 14 | 3 | 21 | 21 | 59 |
| Hornets | 7 | 14 | 0 | 26 | 47 |
Eastern Washington
| | | | | | Total |
| #3 Eagles | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
| #14 Mustangs | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
At Weber State
| | | | | | Total |
| #16 Mustangs | 0 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 15 |
| Wildcats | 12 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 22 |
Northern Colorado
| | | | | | Total |
| Bears | 7 | 17 | 7 | 17 | 48 |
| #21 Mustangs | 21 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 55 |
San Diego–NCAA Division I First Round
| | | | | | Total |
| #24 Toreros | 14 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
| #21 Mustangs | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
References
|
|---|
| Venues | |
|---|
| Bowls & rivalries | |
|---|
| Culture & lore | |
|---|
| People | |
|---|
| Seasons | |
|---|
National championship seasons in bold |