# 2012 NCAA Division II football rankings

The 2012 NCAA Division II football rankings are from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). This is for the 2012 season.

## Legend

| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| (#–#) | Win–loss record |
| (Italics) | Number of first place votes |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |

## American Football Coaches Association poll

| | Preseason | Week 1 Sept 4 | Week 2 Sept 11 | Week 3 Sept 18 | Week 4 Sept 25 | Week 5 Oct 2 | Week 6 Oct 9 | Week 7 Oct 16 | Week 8 Oct 23 | Week 9 Oct 30 | Week 10 Nov 6 | Week 11 Nov 13 | Week 12 Postseason | |
| 1. | Pittsburg State (21) | Pittsburg State (1–0) (28) | Pittsburg State (2–0) (29) | Pittsburg State (3–0) (29) | Pittsburg State (4–0) (29) | Pittsburg State (4–0) (29) | Pittsburg State (5–0) (29) | CSU Pueblo (7–0) (23) | CSU Pueblo (8–0) (24) | CSU Pueblo (9–0) (24) | CSU Pueblo (10–0) (23) | CSU Pueblo (11–0) (24) | Valdosta State (12–2) (30) | 1. |
| 2. | Minnesota–Duluth (5) | Minnesota–Duluth (1–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (2–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (3–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (4–0) | CSU Pueblo (5–0) | CSU Pueblo (6–0) | Winston–Salem State (7–0) (6) | Winston–Salem State (8–0) (6) | Winston–Salem State (9–0) (6) | Winston–Salem State (10–0) (6) | Winston–Salem State (11–0) (6) | Winston–Salem State (14–1) | 2. |
| 3. | Northwest Missouri State (1) | Northwest Missouri State (1–0) | CSU Pueblo (2–0) | CSU Pueblo (3–0) | CSU Pueblo (4–0) | Grand Valley State (5–0) | Winston–Salem State (6–0) (1) | New Haven (6–0) | New Haven (7–0) | New Haven (8–0) | New Haven (9–0) | New Haven (10–0) | Minnesota State (13–1) | 3. |
| 4. | Midwestern State (1) | Midwestern State (0–0) | Grand Valley State (2–0) | Grand Valley State (3–0) | Grand Valley State (4–0) | Winston–Salem State (5–0) (1) | Missouri Western (6–0) | Bloomsburg (7–0) | Bloomsburg (8–0) | Northwest Missouri State (8–1) | Northwest Missouri State (9–1) (1) | Ashland (11–0) | West Texas A&M (12–3) | 4. |
| 5. | Wayne State (1) | Wayne State (0–0) (1) | Winston–Salem State (2–0) (1) | Winston–Salem State (3–0) (1) | Winston–Salem State (4–0) (1) | Missouri Western (5–0) | New Haven (5–0) | Northwest Missouri State (6–1) (1) | Northwest Missouri State (7–1) | Ashland (9–0) | Ashland (10–0) | Minnesota State (11–0) | Missouri Western (12–2) | 5. |
| 6. | CSU Pueblo | CSU Pueblo (1–0) | California (PA) (2–0) | California (PA) (3–0) | California (PA) (4–0) | New Haven (4–0) | Bloomsburg (6–0) | Ashland (7–0) | Ashland (8–0) | Minnesota State (9–0) | Minnesota State (10–0) | Henderson State (10–0) | CSU Pueblo (12–1) | 6. |
| 7. | Grand Valley State | Grand Valley State (1–0) | New Haven (2–0) | Missouri Western (3–0) | Missouri Western (4–0) | Bloomsburg (5–0) | Northwest Missouri State (5–1) | Minnesota–Duluth (6–1) т | Minnesota State (8–0) | Shippensburg (9–0) | Shippensburg (10–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (10–1) | IUP (12–2) | 7. |
| 8. | Valdosta State | Winston–Salem State (1–0) (1) | Missouri Western (2–0) | New Haven (3–0) | New Haven (4–0) | Northwest Missouri State (4–1) | Ashland (6–0) | Pittsburg State (5–1) т | Minnesota–Duluth (7–1) | Henderson State (9–0) | Henderson State (9–0) | Midwestern State (9–1) | New Haven (10–1) | 8. |
| 9. | Winston–Salem State (1) | Abilene Christian (1–0) | Washburn (2–0) | Washburn (3–0) | Humboldt State (4–0) | Ashland (5–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (5–1) | Minnesota State (7–0) | Henderson State (8–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (8–1) | Midwestern State (8–1) | Missouri Western (10–1) | Ashland (11–1) | 9. |
| 10. | Abilene Christian | California (PA) (1–0) | Saginaw Valley State (2–0) | Humboldt State (3–0) | Bloomsburg (4–0) | Minnesota–Duluth (4–1) | Minnesota State (6–0) | Ouachita Baptist (6–0) | Shippensburg (8–0) | Midwestern State (7–1) | Minnesota–Duluth (9–1) | Bloomsburg (10–1) | Northwest Missouri State (10–3) | 10. |
| 11. | California (PA) | Kutztown (1–0) | Humboldt State (2–0) | Bloomsburg (3–0) | Northwest Missouri State (3–1) | Ouachita Baptist (4–0) | Ouachita Baptist (5–0) | Henderson State (7–0) | Midwestern State (6–1) | Missouri Western (8–1) | Missouri Western (9–1) | IUP (10–1) | Henderson State (10–1) | 11. |
| 12. | Kutztown | New Haven (1–0) | Bloomsburg (2–0) | Northwest Missouri State (2–1) | Ouachita Baptist (3–0) | Minnesota State (5–0) | Henderson State (6–0) | Midwestern State (5–1) | Missouri Western (7–1) | West Texas A&M (8–1) | Bloomsburg (9–1) | Harding (9–1) | Minnesota–Duluth (10–2) | 12. |
| 13. | New Haven | West Alabama (1–0) | Northwest Missouri State (1–1) | Ouachita Baptist (2–0) | Ashland (4–0) | Midwestern State (3–1) | Midwestern State (4–1) | Shippensburg (7–0) | California (PA) (7–1) | Bloomsburg (8–1) | IUP (9–1) | Northwest Missouri State (9–2) | Carson–Newman (9–3) | 13. |
| 14. | Delta State | Missouri Western (1–0) | Texas A&M–Kingsville (2–0) | IUP (3–0) | Midwestern State (2–1) | Henderson State (5–0) | Grand Valley State (5–1) | California (PA) (6–1) | West Texas A&M (7–1) | IUP (8–1) | Harding (8–1) | Tuskegee (9–1) | Shippensburg (11–2) | 14. |
| 15. | West Alabama | Washburn (1–0) | Ouachita Baptist (2–0) | Midwestern State (1–1) | Minnesota State (4–0) | Saginaw Valley State (4–1) | California (PA) (5–1) т | Saginaw Valley State (6–1) | Emporia State (8–0) | Miles (8–1) | Grand Valley State (8–2) | Shippensburg (10–1) | Indianapolis (10–3) | 15. |
| 16. | St. Cloud State | Albany State (1–0) | Midwestern State (0–1) | Valdosta State (2–1) | Saginaw Valley State (3–1) | California (PA) (4–1) | Shippensburg (6–0) т | Missouri Western (6–1) | IUP (7–1) т | Harding (7–1) | Tuskegee (8–1) | West Texas A&M (9–2) | Midwestern State (9–2) | 16. |
| 17. | Hillsdale | Humboldt State (1–0) | IUP (2–0) | Ashland (3–0) | Henderson State (4–0) | Shippensburg (5–0) | Saginaw Valley State (5–1) | West Texas A&M (6–1) | Washburn (7–1) т | Sioux Falls (8–1) | West Texas A&M (8–2) | Valdosta State (8–2) | Bloomsburg (10–2) | 17. |
| 18. | Missouri Western | Saginaw Valley State (1–0) | Valdosta State (1–1) | Colorado Mines (3–0) | Wayne State (2–1) | West Alabama (4–1) | Wayne State (4–1) | Emporia State (7–0) | Miles (7–1) | Pittsburg State (6–2) | Valdosta State (8–2) | Indianapolis (9–2) | Chadron State (9–3) | 18. |
| 19. | Shepherd | Bloomsburg (1–0) | Wayne State (0–1) | Abilene Christian (2–1) | West Alabama (3–1) | Wayne State (3–1) | Washburn (5–1) | Washburn (6–1) | Harding (6–1) | Grand Valley State (7–2) | Indianapolis (8–2) | Missouri S&T (10–1) | Harding (9–2) | 19. |
| 20. | Washburn | Valdosta State (0–1) | Abilene Christian (1–1) | Saginaw Valley State (2–1) | Washburn (3–1) | Washburn (4–1) | West Texas A&M (5–1) | IUP (6–1) | Ouachita Baptist (6–1) | Emporia State (8–1) | Missouri S&T (9–1) | Chadron State (9–2) | Lenoir–Rhyne (9–3) | 20. |
| 21. | Humboldt State | Ouachita Baptist (1–0) | Kutztown (1–1) | Wayne State (1–1) | Shippensburg (4–0) | West Texas A&M (4–1) | Emporia State (6–0) | Miles (6–1) | Sioux Falls (7–1) | West Alabama (7–2) | Chadron State (8–2) | Sioux Falls (9–2) | West Alabama (9–4) | 21. |
| 22. | Albany State | Delta State (0–1) | Ashland (2–0) | Minnesota State (3–0) | IUP (3–1) | IUP (4–1) | IUP (5–1) | Michigan Tech (5–1) | Pittsburg State (5–2) | California (PA) (7–2) | Sioux Falls (8–2) | Carson–Newman (8–2) | Emporia State (10–2) | 22. |
| 23. | North Greenville | IUP (1–0) | Colorado Mines (2–0) | West Alabama (2–1) | West Texas A&M (3–1) | Sioux Falls (5–0) | Harding (5–0) | Sioux Falls (6–1) | Grand Valley State (6–2) | Tuskegee (7–1) | Miles (8–2) | Miles (8–2) | Tuskegee (10–2) | 23. |
| 24. | West Texas A&M | Texas A&M–Kingsville (1–0) | West Alabama (1–1) | Henderson State (3–0) | Newberry (4–0) | Humboldt State (4–1) | UNC Pembroke (5–1) | Grand Valley State (5–2) | Hillsdale (6–2) | Valdosta State (7–2) | Carson–Newman (7–2) | Emporia State (9–2) | Missouri S&T (10–1) | 24. |
| 25. | Bloomsburg | Hillsdale (0–1) | Delta State (1–1) | West Texas A&M (2–1) | Sioux Falls (4–0) | Emporia State (5–0) | Shepherd (5–1) | Harding (5–1) | Charleston (7–1) | Washburn (7–2) | Emporia State (8–2) | Charleston (9–2) т | Shepherd (8–3) | 25. |
| 26. | | | | | | | | | | | | Shepherd (8–2) т | | 26. |
| | Preseason | Week 1 Sept 4 | Week 2 Sept 11 | Week 3 Sept 18 | Week 4 Sept 25 | Week 5 Oct 2 | Week 6 Oct 9 | Week 7 Oct 16 | Week 8 Oct 23 | Week 9 Oct 30 | Week 10 Nov 6 | Week 11 Nov 13 | Week 12 Postseason | |
| | | Dropped: 16 St. Cloud State19 Shepherd23 North Greenville24 West Texas A&M | Dropped: 16 Albany State25 Hillsdale | Dropped: 14 Texas A&M–Kingsville21 Kutztown25 Delta State | Dropped: 16 Valdosta State18 Colorado Mines19 Abilene Christian | Dropped: 24 Newberry | Dropped: 18 West Alabama23 Sioux Falls24 Humboldt State | Dropped: 18 Wayne State24 UNC Pembroke25 Shepherd | Dropped: 15 Saginaw Valley State22 Michigan Tech | Dropped: 20 Ouachita Baptist24 Hillsdale25 Charleston | Dropped: 18 Pittsburg State21 West Alabama22 California (PA)25 Washburn | Dropped: 15 Grand Valley State | Dropped: 21 Sioux Falls23 Miles25 Charleston | |