1986 Florida A&M Rattlers football team

The 1986 Florida A&M Rattlers football team represented Florida A&M University as an independent during the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Ken Riley, the Rattlers compiled a record of 5–6.

1986 Florida A&M Rattlers football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–6
Head coach	Ken Riley (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Wally Highsmith (1st season)
Home stadium	Bragg Memorial Stadium

1986 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Georgia Southern ^			–					13	–	2	–	0
No. 14 Tennessee State ^			–					10	–	2	–	1
No. 8 William & Mary ^			–					9	–	3	–	0
Eastern Washington			–					5	–	5	–	0
James Madison			–					5	–	5	–	1
Florida A&M			–					5	–	6	–	0
Northeastern			–					4	–	6	–	0
Western Kentucky			–					4	–	6	–	1
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	Tuskegee	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 17–9	10,473
September 13	vs. No. 1 Georgia Southern	Gator Bowl Jacksonville, FL (Bold City Classic)	L 12–35	21,982
September 20	at Temple	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA	L 17–38	42,098
September 27	at No. 7 Tennessee State	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	L 12–34	30,050
October 4	Albany State	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	L 2–13	10,926
October 11	vs. No. 5 (D-II) Central State (OH)	Hoosier Dome Indianapolis, IN (Circle City Classic)	L 3–41	41,002
October 18	vs. Alcorn State	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Blossom Classic)	W 33–30	17,327
November 1	Hampton	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 44–9	21,978
November 8	South Carolina State	Bragg Memorial Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 26–3	7,295
November 15	at Southern	A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 14–30
November 29	vs. Bethune–Cookman	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL (Florida Classic)	W 16–6	36,610
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game