The 1976 Kent State Golden Flashes football team was an American football team that represented Kent State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. In their second season under head coach Dennis Fitzgerald, the Golden Flashes compiled an 8–4 record (6–2 against MAC opponents), finished in second place in the MAC, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 280 to 206.