# 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The season began on August 30, 2012, and concluded with the 2013 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game on January 5, 2013, at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State beat Sam Houston State for the second year in a row, 39-13, to repeat as champions.

## FCS team wins over FBS teams

August 30: Eastern Washington 20, Idaho 3 August 30: McNeese State 27, Middle Tennessee 21 September 1: Tennessee–Martin 20, Memphis 17 September 1: Youngstown State 31, Pittsburgh 17 September 8: Illinois State 31, Eastern Michigan 14 September 8: North Dakota State 22, Colorado State 7 September 8: Northern Arizona 17, UNLV 14 September 8: Sacramento State 30, Colorado 28 September 15: Cal Poly 24, Wyoming 22 September 29: Stony Brook 23, Army 3

## Conference changes and new programs

The Great West Conference dropped football after the 2011 season.
No teams played as independents in 2012, for the first time in the history of Division I-AA/FCS.
| School | 2011 Conference | 2012 Conference |
| Cal Poly | Great West | Big Sky |
| Georgia State | FCS Independent | CAA |
| Massachusetts | CAA (FCS) | MAC (FBS) |
| North Dakota | Great West | Big Sky |
| South Alabama | FCS Independent | Sun Belt (FBS) |
| South Dakota | Great West | MVFC |
| Southern Utah | Great West | Big Sky |
| Texas State | FCS Independent | WAC (FBS) |
| UC Davis | Great West | Big Sky |
| UTSA | FCS Independent | WAC (FBS) |

## Conference standings

2012 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 2012 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Eastern Washington +^  7 –1  11 –3   No. 5 Montana State +^  7 –1  11 –2   No. 12 Cal Poly +^  7 –1  9 –3   No. 20 Northern Arizona  6 –2  8 –3   Sacramento State  4 –4  6 –5   Northern Colorado  4 –4  5 –6   Southern Utah  4 –4  5 –6   North Dakota  3 –5  5 –6   Montana  3 –5  5 –6   UC Davis  3 –5  4 –7   Portland State  2 –6  3 –8   Weber State  2 –6  2 –9   Idaho State  0 –8  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2012 Big South Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Stony Brook +^  5 –1  10 –3   Coastal Carolina +^  5 –1  8 –5   Liberty +  5 –1  6 –5   Charleston Southern  3 –3  5 –6   Gardner–Webb  2 –4  3 –8   VMI  1 –5  2 –9   Presbyterian  0 –6  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2012 Colonial Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Old Dominion ^  7 –1  11 –2   No. 18 Richmond +  6 –2  8 –3   No. 13 New Hampshire +^  6 –2  8 –4   No. 15 Villanova +^  6 –2  8 –4   No. 17 Towson +  6 –2  7 –4   No. 19 James Madison  5 –3  7 –4   Maine  4 –4  5 –6   Delaware  2 –6  5 –6   William & Mary  1 –7  2 –9   Rhode Island  0 –8  0 –11   Georgia State  0 –0  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantGeorgia State's conference record was 0–0, and it did not occupy a spot in the overall standings. Old Dominion was ineligible for the conference championship because of its announced departure for Conference USA in 2013.Rankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2012 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Penn $  6 –1  6 –4   Harvard  5 –2  8 –2   Brown  4 –3  7 –3   Dartmouth  4 –3  6 –4   Princeton  4 –3  5 –5   Cornell  2 –5  4 –6   Columbia  2 –5  3 –7   Yale  1 –6  2 –8   $ – Conference champion | 2012 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 22 Bethune–Cookman $^  8 –0  9 –3   Howard  6 –2  7 –4   North Carolina A&T  5 –3  7 –4   North Carolina Central  5 –3  6 –5   Delaware State  5 –3  6 –5   South Carolina State  4 –4  5 –6   Florida A&M  4 –4  4 –7   Hampton  3 –5  3 –7   Norfolk State  2 –6  4 –7   Morgan State  2 –6  3 –8   Savannah State  0 –8  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2012 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 North Dakota State $^  7 –1  14 –1   No. 14 South Dakota State ^  6 –2  9 –4   No. 8 Illinois State ^  5 –3  9 –4   Indiana State  5 –3  7 –4   Southern Illinois  5 –3  6 –5   Youngstown State  4 –4  7 –4   Northern Iowa  4 –4  5 –6   Missouri State  3 –5  3 –8   Western Illinois  1 –7  3 –8   South Dakota  0 –8  1 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2012 Northeast Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 21 Wagner +^  7 –1  9 –4   Albany +  7 –1  9 –2   Monmouth  4 –3  5 –5   Saint Francis (PA)  4 –4  5 –6   Bryant  4 –4  4 –7   Robert Morris  3 –5  4 –7   Duquesne  3 –5  5 –6   Central Connecticut  2 –5  2 –8   Sacred Heart  1 –7  2 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2012 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Eastern Illinois $^  6 –1  7 –5   No. 22 Eastern Kentucky  6 –2  8 –3   UT Martin  6 –2  8 –3   Jacksonville State  5 –3  6 –5   Tennessee State  4 –3  8 –3   Murray State  4 –4  5 –6   Southeast Missouri State  2 –6  3 –8   Tennessee Tech  1 –7  3 –8   Austin Peay  1 –7  2 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll | 2012 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 24 Colgate $^  6 –0  8 –4   No. 13 Lehigh  5 –1  10 –1   Georgetown  2 –4  5 –6   Lafayette  2 –4  5 –6   Holy Cross  2 –4  2 –9   Bucknell  1 –5  3 –8   Fordham  0 –0  6 –5   $ – Conference champion^ – FCS playoff participantFordham was ineligible for conference title because they offered football scholarships while other Patriot League members did not.Rankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2012 Pioneer Football League standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Butler +  7 –1  8 –3   Drake +  7 –1  8 –3   San Diego +  7 –1  8 –3   Jacksonville  5 –3  7 –4   Dayton  5 –3  6 –5   Marist  3 –5  4 –7   Morehead State  3 –5  4 –7   Davidson  2 –6  2 –9   Valparaiso  1 –7  1 –10   Campbell  0 –8  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions | 2012 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Georgia Southern +^  6 –2  10 –4   No. 9 Wofford +^  6 –2  9 –4   No. 7 Appalachian State +^  6 –2  8 –4   The Citadel  5 –3  7 –4   Samford  5 –3  7 –4   Chattanooga  5 –3  6 –5   Furman  2 –6  3 –8   Elon  1 –7  3 –8   Western Carolina  0 –8  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network Poll | 2012 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Central Arkansas +^  6 –1  9 –3   No. 2 Sam Houston State +^  6 –1  11 –4   Southeastern Louisiana  5 –2  5 –6   McNeese State  4 –3  7 –4   Stephen F. Austin  4 –3  5 –6   Northwestern State  2 –5  4 –7   Lamar  1 –6  4 –8   Nicholls State  0 –7  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – FCS playoff participantRankings from The Sports Network poll |
| 2012 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  East Division Jackson State xy  7 –2  7 –5   Alabama State  7 –2  7 –4   Alabama A&M  6 –3  7 –4   Mississippi Valley State  5 –4  5 –6   Alcorn State  4 –5  4 –7   West Division Arkansas–Pine Bluff xy$  8 –1  10 –2   Prairie View A&M  3 –6  3 –8   Southern  3 –6  4 –7   Texas Southern *  2 –7  2 –9   Grambling State  0 –9  1 –10   Championship: Arkansas–Pine Bluff 24, Jackson State 21 $^{OT}$ $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant * – ineligible for postseason |

## Conference summaries
### Championship games

| Conference | Champion | Runner-up | Score | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
| SWAC | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | Jackson State | 24–21 | Rico Richardson (WR, Jackson State) | Brandon Thurmond (DT, Arkansas–Pine Bluff) | |

### Other conference winners

Note: Records are regular-season only, and do not include playoff games.
| Conference | Champion | Record | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
| Big Sky | Eastern Washington Montana State Cal Poly | 9–2 (7–1) 10–1 (7–1) 9–2 (7–1) | DeNarius McGhee (Montana State) | Jody Owens (Montana State) | Beau Baldwin (Eastern Washington) Tim Walsh (Cal Poly) |
| Big South | Coastal Carolina Liberty Stony Brook | 8–3 (5–1) 6–5 (5–1) 9–2 (5–1) | Miguel Maysonet (Stony Brook) | Quinn Backus (Coastal Carolina) | Joe Moglia (Coastal Carolina) |
| CAA | New Hampshire Richmond Villanova Towson | 8–3 (6–2) 8–3 (6–2) 8–3 (6–2) 7–4 (6–2) | Taylor Heinicke (Old Dominion) | Stephon Robertson (James Madison) | Andy Talley (Villanova) |
| Ivy | Penn | 6–4 (6–1) | | | |
| MEAC | Bethune-Cookman | 9–2 (8–0) | | | |
| MVFC | North Dakota State | 10–1 (7–1) | Matt Brown (Illinois State) | Marcus Williams (North Dakota State) | Craig Bohl (North Dakota State) |
| NEC | Wagner Albany | 9–2 (7–1) | | | |
| OVC | Eastern Illinois | 7–4 (6–1) | | | |
| Patriot | Colgate | 8–3 (6–0) | | | |
| Pioneer | Butler Drake | 8–3 (7–1) | | | |
| Southern | Georgia Southern Appalachian State Wofford | 8–3 (6–2) | Eric Breitenstein (Wofford) | Jeremy Kimbrough (Appalachian State) Davis Tull (Chattanooga) | |
| Southland | Central Arkansas Sam Houston State | 9–2 (6–1) 8–3 (6–1) | Wynrick Smothers (Central Arkansas) | Darnell Taylor (Sam Houston State) | Clint Conque (Central Arkansas) |
* ↑ Old Dominion had the best conference record at 7–1, but was not eligible for the title because it announced its 2013 departure for Conference USA in May 2012. Under CAA bylaws, a school that announces its departure immediately becomes ineligible for conference championships.

## Playoff qualifiers
### Automatic berths for conference champions

* Big Sky Conference – Eastern Washington
* Big South Conference – Coastal Carolina
* Colonial Athletic Association – Villanova
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Bethune-Cookman
* Missouri Valley Football Conference – North Dakota State
* Northeast Conference – Wagner
* Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Illinois
* Patriot League – Colgate
* Southern Conference – Georgia Southern
* Southland Conference – Central Arkansas

### At large qualifiers

* Big Sky Conference - Montana State and Cal Poly
* Big South Conference - Stony Brook
* Colonial Athletic Association - New Hampshire and Old Dominion
* Missouri Valley Football Conference - Illinois State and South Dakota State
* Southern Conference - Wofford and Appalachian State
* Southland Conference - Sam Houston State

### Abstains

* Ivy League – Penn
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Arkansas–Pine Bluff

## Postseason
### NCAA Division I playoff bracket

| First Round November 24 Campus sites | First Round November 24 Campus sites | First Round November 24 Campus sites | Second Round December 1 Campus sites | Second Round December 1 Campus sites | Second Round December 1 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 7 and December 8 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 7 and December 8 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 7 and December 8 Campus sites | Semifinals December 14 and December 15 Campus sites | Semifinals December 14 and December 15 Campus sites | Semifinals December 14 and December 15 Campus sites | National Championship Game January 5 FC Dallas Stadium, Frisco, Texas ESPN2 Dial Global Sports | National Championship Game January 5 FC Dallas Stadium, Frisco, Texas ESPN2 Dial Global Sports | National Championship Game January 5 FC Dallas Stadium, Frisco, Texas ESPN2 Dial Global Sports |
| | | | | South Dakota State | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Illinois | Eastern Illinois | 10 | 1 | North Dakota State* | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| South Dakota State* | South Dakota State* | 58 | | | | 1 | North Dakota State* | 14 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Wofford | 7 | | | | | | |
| | | | New Hampshire | New Hampshire | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Wofford* | Wofford* | 23 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 1 | North Dakota State* | 23 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 5 | Georgia Southern | 20 | | | |
| | | | | Coastal Carolina | 35 | | | | | | | | | |
| Coastal Carolina | Coastal Carolina | 24 | 4 | Old Dominion* | 63 | | | | | | | | | |
| Bethune-Cookman* | Bethune-Cookman* | 14 | | | | 4 | Old Dominion* | 35 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | Georgia Southern | 49 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Central Arkansas | 16 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Georgia Southern* | 24 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | North Dakota State* | 39 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sam Houston State | 13 |
| | | | | Wagner | 19 | | | | | | | | | |
| Colgate | Colgate | 20 | 2 | Eastern Washington* | 29 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wagner* | Wagner* | 31 | | | | 2 | Eastern Washington* | 51 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Illinois State | 35 | | | | | | |
| | | | Illinois State | Illinois State | $^†$38 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Appalachian State* | Appalachian State* | 37 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 2 | Eastern Washington* | 42 | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Sam Houston State | 45 | | | |
| | | | | Stony Brook | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| Villanova | Villanova | 10 | 3 | Montana State* | 16 | | | | | | | | | |
| Stony Brook* | Stony Brook* | 20 | | | | 3 | Montana State* | 16 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Sam Houston State | 34 | | | | | | |
| | | | Cal Poly | Cal Poly | 16 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Sam Houston State* | Sam Houston State* | 18 | | | | | | | | | |
* Home team † Overtime

## Coaching changes
### Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2012. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2012, see 2011 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
| Southern | Stump Mitchell | September 17 | Fired | Dawson Odums (interim) |
| Davidson | Tripp Merritt | November 5 | Fired | Brett Hayford (interim) |
| Florida A&M | Joe Taylor | November 7 | Retired | Earl Holmes (interim) |

### End of season

| School | Outgoing coach | Date announced | Reason | Replacement |
| Georgia State | Bill Curry | August 15 | Retired | Trent Miles |
| Campbell | Dale Steele | November 5 | Fired | Mike Minter |
| Northwestern State | Bradley Dale Peveto | November 19 | Fired | Jay Thomas |
| Western Illinois | Mark Hendrickson | November 19 | Fired | Bob Nielson |
| Morehead State | Matt Ballard | November 20 | Fired | Rob Tenyer |
| Indiana State | Trent Miles | November 30 | Hired by Georgia State | Mike Sanford |
| Jacksonville State | Jack Crowe | November 30 | Fired | Bill Clark |
| UC Davis | Bob Biggs | December 1 | Retired | Ron Gould |
| Appalachian State | Jerry Moore | December 2 | Retired | Scott Satterfield |
| Cornell | Kent Austin | December 17 | Hired by Hamilton Tiger-Cats | David Archer |
| San Diego | Ron Caragher | December 17 | Hired by San Jose State | Dale Lindsey |
| Davidson | Brett Hayford | December 21 | Permanent replacement | Paul Nichols |
| Charleston Southern | Jay Mills | January 3 | Retired | Jamey Chadwell |
| Delaware | K. C. Keeler | January 7 | Fired | Dave Brock |
| Gardner–Webb | Ron Dickerson, Jr. | January 17 | Resigned | Carroll McCray |
| Savannah State | Steve Davenport | April 17 | Fired | Earnest Wilson III |
* In addition to the above changes, Southern named its interim head coach Dawson Odums as permanent head coach on December 14.