# 2012 NCAA Division III football season

The 2012 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 2012, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2012 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their eleventh Division III championship by defeating the St. Thomas (MN) Tommies, 28−10.
The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Scottie Williams, running back from Elmhurst (IL).

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 2011 conference | 2012 conference |
| McMurry | ASC (Division III) | Heartland (Division II) |

## Conference standings

2012 American Southwest Conference football standings :
| 2012 American Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 2 Mary Hardin–Baylor $^  7 –0  13 –1   No. 23 Louisiana College ^  6 –1  8 –3   Hardin–Simmons  5 –2  6 –4   Sul Ross  4 –3  5 –5   Texas Lutheran  2 –5  4 –6   East Texas Baptist  2 –5  3 –7   Mississippi College  1 –6  2 –8   Howard Payne  1 –6  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2012 Centennial Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 22 Johns Hopkins $^  8 –1  10 –2   Muhlenberg  7 –2  8 –3   Gettysburg  6 –3  7 –3   Franklin & Marshall  6 –3  7 –4   Susquehanna  5 –4  6 –4   Ursinus  5 –4  6 –4   Dickinson  4 –5  4 –6   Juniata  2 –7  3 –7   Moravian  2 –7  2 –8   McDaniel  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2012 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 8 Elmhurst +^  6 –1  10 –2   No. 21 Wheaton (IL) +  6 –1  8 –2   No. 7 North Central (IL) +^  6 –1  9 –3   Augustana (IL)  4 –3  5 –5   Illinois Wesleyan  3 –4  6 –4   Millikin  2 –5  5 –5   Carthage  1 –6  3 –7   North Park  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2012 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Mount Ida +^  6 –1  8 –3   Castleton +  6 –1  7 –4   Gallaudet  5 –2  7 –3   Norwich  4 –2  7 –3   SUNY Maritime  2 –4  3 –6   Becker  2 –5  3 –7   Anna Maria  1 –6  2 –8   Husson  1 –6  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2012 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 11 Salisbury $^  6 –1  9 –3   Alfred  5 –2  6 –4   St. John Fisher  4 –3  8 –3   Buffalo State  4 –3  6 –4   Ithaca  4 –3  6 –4   Utica  4 –3  6 –4   Frostburg State  1 –6  3 –7   Hartwick  0 –7  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2012 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 20 Franklin $^  8 –0  9 –3   Hanover  6 –2  6 –4   Manchester  6 –2  6 –4   Bluffton  5 –3  6 –4   Rose–Hulman  5 –3  5 –5   Mount St. Joseph  3 –5  4 –6   Defiance  2 –6  2 –8   Earlham  1 –7  1 –9   Anderson (IN)  0 –8  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2012 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 15 Coe $^  7 –0  10 –1   Simpson (IA)  4 –3  6 –4   Wartburg  4 –3  6 –4   Central (IA)  4 –3  5 –5   Dubuque  4 –3  5 –5   Buena Vista  4 –3  4 –6   Loras  1 –6  2 –8   Luther  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2012 Liberty League football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 9 Hobart $^  7 –0  12 –1   Union (NY)  6 –1  6 –4   Springfield  5 –2  8 –3   RPI  3 –4  5 –4   Merchant Marine  3 –4  5 –5   Rochester (NY)  3 –4  4 –5   WPI  1 –6  2 –8   St. Lawrence  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2012 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Adrian $^  6 –0  9 –2   Trine  5 –1  7 –3   Hope  4 –2  5 –5   Albion  3 –3  6 –4   Kalamazoo  2 –4  5 –5   Alma  1 –5  1 –9   Olivet  0 –6  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2012 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 10 Widener $^  8 –0  11 –1   Lycoming  8 –1  8 –2   Delaware Valley  7 –2  8 –3   Albright  6 –3  8 –3   Lebanon Valley  5 –4  6 –4   Wilkes  4 –5  5 –5   FDU Florham  2 –6  2 –8   King's  2 –7  2 –8   Stevenson  2 –7  2 –8   Misericordia  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2012 Midwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Lake Forest +  8 –1  8 –2   St. Norbert +^  8 –1  8 –3   Carroll (WI)  7 –2  8 –2   Illinois College  7 –2  8 –2   Monmouth (IL)  5 –4  5 –5   Ripon  5 –4  5 –5   Cornell (IA)  4 –5  4 –6   Grinnell  2 –7  2 –8   Knox  2 –7  2 –8   Lawrence  2 –8  2 –8   Beloit  0 –9  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2012 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 3 St. Thomas (MN) $^  8 –0  14 –1   No. 18 Concordia–Moorhead  6 –2  8 –2   No. 12 Bethel (MN) ^  6 –2  9 –3   Augsburg  5 –3  7 –3   St. Olaf  5 –3  7 –3   Saint John's (MN)  3 –5  5 –5   Gustavus Adolphus  2 –6  3 –7   Carleton  1 –7  3 –7   Hamline  0 –8  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2012 New England Football Conference standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Bogan Division Framingham State xy$^  7 –0  10 –2   Bridgewater State ^  6 –1  9 –2   Worcester State  4 –3  6 –4   Coast Guard  4 –3  5 –4   Massachusetts Maritime  4 –3  5 –4   Westfield State  2 –5  3 –7   Fitchburg State  1 –6  2 –8   Maine Maritime  0 –7  0 –9   Boyd Division Endicott x  6 –1  9 –2   Salve Regina xy  6 –1  9 –2   Curry  5 –2  6 –4   Western New England  4 –3  6 –4   MIT  4 –3  5 –4   Plymouth State  1 –6  2 –8   Nichols  1 –6  1 –9   UMass Dartmouth  1 –6  1 –9   Championship: Framingham State 28, Salve Regina 16 $ – Conference championx – Division champion/co-championsy – Championship game participant^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2012 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Trinity (CT) $  8 –0  8 –0   Middlebury  7 –1  7 –1   Amherst  6 –2  6 –2   Bates  5 –3  5 –3   Wesleyan  5 –3  5 –3   Williams  4 –4  4 –4   Colby  3 –5  3 –5   Bowdoin  1 –7  1 –7   Hamilton  1 –7  1 –7   Tufts  0 –8  0 –8   $ – Conference champion | 2012 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 24 Cortland $^  7 –0  9 –2   No. 25 Rowan ^  6 –1  7 –3   Kean  5 –2  5 –4   Montclair State  5 –3  5 –5   Brockport  4 –4  6 –4   TCNJ  3 –5  4 –6   William Paterson  2 –5  5 –5   Western Connecticut  1 –7  1 –8   Morrisville State  1 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2012 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Ohio Wesleyan +  6 –1  9 –1   No. 14 Wittenberg +^  6 –1  10 –2   Wabash  5 –2  8 –2   Kenyon  5 –2  6 –4   Allegheny  4 –3  5 –5   Denison  4 –3  4 –6   Oberlin  3 –4  4 –6   DePauw  1 –6  2 –8   Wooster  1 –6  2 –8   Hiram  0 –7  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2012 Northern Athletics Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Concordia (IL) $^  7 –0  10 –1   Concordia (WI)  6 –1  7 –3   Wisconsin Lutheran  5 –2  7 –3   Aurora  4 –3  5 –5   Benedictine (IL)  3 –4  5 –5   Lakeland  2 –5  2 –8   Rockford  1 –6  2 –8   Maranatha Baptist  0 –7  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2012 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 5 Linfield $^  6 –0  11 –1   No. 17 Pacific Lutheran ^  5 –1  7 –3   Willamette  4 –2  8 –2   Whitworth  3 –3  7 –3   Pacific (OR)  2 –4  3 –6   Lewis & Clark  1 –5  4 –5   Puget Sound  0 –6  0 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2012 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 1 Mount Union $^  9 –0  15 –0   No. 19 Heidelberg ^  8 –1  9 –2   Otterbein  7 –2  8 –2   Baldwin Wallace  6 –3  7 –3   John Carroll  5 –4  6 –4   Ohio Northern  4 –5  4 –6   Muskingum  3 –6  3 –7   Capital  2 –7  2 –8   Wilmington (OH)  1 –8  1 –9   Marietta  0 –9  0 –10   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2012 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Washington and Lee $^  6 –1  8 –3   Randolph–Macon  5 –2  7 –3   Bridgewater  4 –3  7 –3   Hampden–Sydney  4 –3  6 –4   Guilford  4 –3  5 –5   Emory & Henry  3 –4  6 –4   Catholic University  2 –5  3 –7   Shenandoah  0 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2012 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Waynesburg +  7 –1  10 –1   Washington & Jefferson +^  7 –1  8 –3   Thomas More  6 –2  7 –3   Grove City  5 –3  6 –4   Bethany (WV)  3 –5  3 –7   Geneva  3 –5  3 –7   Thiel  3 –5  3 –7   Westminster (PA)  2 –6  3 –6   Saint Vincent  0 –8  0 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant |
| 2012 Southern Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Birmingham–Southern +  3 –1  7 –3   Millsaps +  3 –1  7 –3   Rhodes  2 –2  6 –3   Centre  1 –3  6 –4   Sewanee  1 –3  3 –7   + – Conference co-champions | 2012 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 16 Cal Lutheran $^  7 –0  8 –2   Redlands  6 –1  6 –3   Chapman  5 –2  6 –3   La Verne  4 –3  4 –5   Whittier  3 –4  4 –5   Occidental  2 –5  2 –7   Pomona–Pitzer  1 –6  1 –8   Claremont–Mudd–Scripps  0 –7  0 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com | 2012 University Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Washington University $  3 –0  5 –5   Case Western Reserve  2 –1  6 –4   Carnegie Mellon  1 –2  6 –5   Chicago  0 –3  4 –6   $ – Conference champion |
| 2012 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Greenville +  7 –1  8 –2   Northwestern (MN) +  7 –1  8 –3   St. Scholastica +^  7 –1  8 –3   Minnesota–Morris  5 –3  6 –4   Eureka  3 –5  4 –6   Martin Luther  2 –6  4 –6   Westminster (MO)  2 –6  4 –6   MacMurray  2 –6  2 –8   Crown  1 –7  2 –8   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2012 USA South Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  Ferrum +  5 –2  7 –3   Maryville (TN) +  5 –2  6 –4   Christopher Newport +^  5 –2  6 –5   Methodist  4 –3  5 –5   Greensboro  3 –4  5 –5   LaGrange  3 –4  3 –7   North Carolina Wesleyan  2 –5  3 –7   Averett  1 –6  1 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant | 2012 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 4 Wisconsin–Oshkosh $^  7 –0  13 –1   No. 13 Wisconsin–Platteville  5 –2  8 –2   Wisconsin–Whitewater  5 –2  7 –3   Wisconsin–Eau Claire  4 –3  4 –6   Wisconsin–La Crosse  3 –4  4 –6   Wisconsin–River Falls  2 –5  2 –8   Wisconsin–Stout  1 –6  3 –7   Wisconsin–Stevens Point  1 –6  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |
| 2012 NCAA Division III independents football records vteConfOverall Team W L W L  No. 6 Wesley ^   –  10 –2   Trinity (TX)   –  7 –3   Huntingdon   –  6 –3   Macalester   –  6 –4   Austin   –  2 –8   Presentation   –  2 –8   ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participantRankings from D3football.com |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor
* Centennial Conference – Johns Hopkins
* College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Elmhurst, North Central (IL), and Wheaton (IL)
* Eastern Collegiate Football Conference – Castleton State and Mount Ida
* Empire 8 Conference – Salisbury
* Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Franklin
* Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Coe
* Liberty League – Hobart
* Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Adrian
* Middle Atlantic Conference – Widener
* Midwest Conference – Lake Forest and St. Norbert
* Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – St. Thomas (MN)
* New England Football Conference – Framingham State (Bogan Division), Endicott and Salve Regina (Boyd Division)
* Championship Game: Framingham State 28, Salve Regina 16
* New England Small College Athletic Conference – Trinity (CT)
* New Jersey Athletic Conference – SUNY Cortland
* North Coast Athletic Conference – Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg
* Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference – Concordia Chicago
* Northwest Conference – Linfield
* Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union
* Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Washington & Lee
* Presidents' Athletic Conference – Washington & Jefferson and Waynesburg
* Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Cal Lutheran
* Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Trinity (TX)
* University Athletic Association – Washington–Saint Louis
* Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Greenville, Northwestern–St. Paul, and St. Scholastica
* USA South Athletic Conference – Christopher Newport, Ferrum, and Maryville (TN)
* Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Oshkosh

## Postseason

The 2012 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 40th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship Stagg Bowl game was held at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia for the 20th time.

### Qualification

Twenty-four conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs. Besides the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, two conferences (the SAA and UAA) had no Pool A bid, neither meeting the seven-member requirement.
Schools not in Pool A conferences were eligible for Pool B. The number of Pool B bids was determined by calculating the ratio of Pool A conferences to schools in those conferences and applying that ratio to the number of Pool B schools. The 24 Pool A conferences contained 214 schools, an average of 8.9 teams per conference. Fifteen schools were in Pool B, enough for one bid.
The remaining seven playoff spots were at-large ("Pool C") teams.

### Playoff bracket

| First Round Campus Sites | First Round Campus Sites | First Round Campus Sites | Second Round Campus Sites | Second Round Campus Sites | Second Round Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Quarterfinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | Semifinals Campus Sites | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia | National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia |
| Linfield | Linfield | 27 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Pacific Lutheran | Pacific Lutheran | 24 | Linfield | Linfield | 30 | | | | | | | | | |
| North Central (IL) | North Central (IL) | 41 | North Central (IL) | North Central (IL) | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| Cal Lutheran | Cal Lutheran | 21 | | | | Linfield | Linfield | 24 | | | | | | |
| Bethel (MN) | Bethel (MN) | 24 | | | | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | 31* | | | | | | |
| Concordia Chicago | Concordia Chicago | 23 | Bethel (MN) | Bethel (MN) | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin–Oshkosh | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | 55 | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | 37 | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Scholastica | St. Scholastica | 10 | | | | | | | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | 14 | | | |
| Hobart | Hobart | 38 | | | | | | | St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 28 | | | |
| Washington & Lee | Washington & Lee | 20 | Hobart | Hobart | 35 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 52 | Wittenberg | Wittenberg | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| Heidelberg | Heidelberg | 38 | | | | Hobart | Hobart | 7 | | | | | | |
| Elmhurst | Elmhurst | 27 | | | | St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 47 | | | | | | |
| Coe | Coe | 24 | Elmhurst | Elmhurst | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 48 | St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 24 | | | | | | | | | |
| St. Norbert | St. Norbert | 17 | | | | | | | | | | St. Thomas (MN) | St. Thomas (MN) | 10 |
| Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 59 | | | | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 28 |
| Louisiana College | Louisiana College | 20 | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 63 | | | | | | | | | |
| Franklin | Franklin | 42 | Franklin | Franklin | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| Adrian | Adrian | 10 | | | | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 32 | | | | | | |
| SUNY Cortland | SUNY Cortland | 20 | | | | Wesley | Wesley | 20 | | | | | | |
| Framingham State | Framingham State | 19 | SUNY Cortland | SUNY Cortland | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| Wesley | Wesley | 73 | Wesley | Wesley | 56 | | | | | | | | | |
| Mount Ida | Mount Ida | 14 | | | | | | | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mary Hardin–Baylor | 35 | | | |
| Widener | Widener | 44 | | | | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 48 | | | |
| Bridgewater State | Bridgewater State | 14 | Widener | Widener | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| Salisbury | Salisbury | 17 | Salisbury | Salisbury | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| Rowan | Rowan | 9 | | | | Widener | Widener | 17 | | | | | | |
| Johns Hopkins | Johns Hopkins | 42 | | | | Mount Union | Mount Union | 72 | | | | | | |
| Washington & Jefferson | Washington & Jefferson | 10 | Johns Hopkins | Johns Hopkins | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Mount Union | Mount Union | 72 | Mount Union | Mount Union | 55 | | | | | | | | | |
| Christopher Newport | Christopher Newport | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* Overtime