# 2012 Sun Belt Conference football season

The 2012 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 12th season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference. The season began August 30, 2012 and concluded January 6, 2013 as part of the 2012-13 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Ten teams participated in the competition: Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Louisiana–Lafayette, Louisiana–Monroe, Middle Tennessee State, North Texas, South Alabama, Troy and Western Kentucky.
South Alabama competed in the Sun Belt for the first time and became the conference's tenth team. Due to NCAA transitional rules, South Alabama was not eligible for a conference championship or postseason play.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

The following Sun Belt players were named to preseason award watch lists:
Walter Camp Award :
| Player | Team |
| Ryan Aplin | Arkansas State |
Doak Walker Award :
| Player | Team |
| Kedrick Rhodes | Florida International |
| Benny Cunningham | Middle Tennessee |
| Shawn Southward | Troy |
John Mackey Award :
| Player | Team |
| Jack Doyle | Western Kentucky |
Manning Award :
| Player | Team |
| Ryan Aplin | Arkansas State |
| Blaine Gautier | Louisiana–Lafayette |
Bronko Nagurski Trophy :
| Player | Team |
| Andrew Jackson | Western Kentucky |
Outland Trophy :
| Player | Team |
| Caylin Hauptmann | Florida International |
Lombardi Award :
| Player | Team |
| Adam Smith | Western Kentucky |
| Andrew Jackson | Western Kentucky |
| Winston Fraser | Florida International |
Rimington Trophy :
| Player | Team |
| Andre Huval | Louisiana–Lafayette |
Davey O'Brien Award :
| Player | Team |
| Ryan Aplin | Arkansas State |
Jim Thorpe Award :
| Player | Team |
| Brynden Trawick | Troy |
| Jonathan Cyprien | Florida International |
Ray Guy Award :
| Player | Team |
| Will Atterberry | North Texas |
Lou Groza Award :
| Player | Team |
| Brett Baer | Louisiana–Lafayette |
| Jake Griffin | Florida International |

### Sun Belt Media Day

The Sun Belt media day was held on 16 July, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Florida International received five first place votes and were selected by the coaches as the favorites to win the conference. Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette each received two first place votes, while Western Kentucky received one.

#### Coaches Poll

| Position | Team | Votes | First-place votes |
| 1 | Florida International | 92 | 5 |
| 2 | Arkansas State | 85 | 2 |
| 3 | Louisiana–Lafayette | 81 | 2 |
| 4 | Western Kentucky | 70 | 1 |
| 5 | Troy | 60 | |
| 6 | Louisiana–Monroe | 47 | |
| 7 | Middle Tennessee | 42 | |
| 8 | North Texas | 36 | |
| 9 | Florida Atlantic | 23 | |
| 10 | South Alabama | 14 | |

#### Preseason All–Conference Team

The head coaches of the competing teams selected their All–Conference Team. The coaches also selected Ryan Aplin of Arkansas State as the preseason offensive player of the year, and Tourek Williams of Florida International as the preseason defensive player of the year.
| Position | Name | Team |
| QB | Ryan Aplin | Arkansas State |
| RB | Kedrick Rhodes | Florida International |
| RB | Alonzo Harris | Louisiana–Lafayette |
| WR | Josh Jarboe | Arkansas State |
| WR | Javone Lawson | Louisiana–Lafayette |
| WR | Eric Thomas | Troy |
| TE | Jack Doyle | Western Kentucky |
| OL | Zack McKnight | Arkansas State |
| OL | Rupert Bryan | Florida International |
| OL | Caylin Hauptmann | Florida International |
| OL | Leonardo Bates | Louisiana–Lafayette |
| OL | Cyril Lemon | North Texas |
| Position | Name | Team |
| DL | Isame Faciane | Florida International |
| DL | Tourek Williams | Florida International |
| DL | Tony Davis | Troy |
| DL | Quanterus Smith | Western Kentucky |
| LB | Andrew Jackson | Western Kentucky |
| LB | Winston Fraser | Florida International |
| LB | Kanorris Davis | Troy |
| DB | Brynden Trawick | Troy |
| DB | Jonathan Cyprien | Florida International |
| DB | Don Jones | Arkansas State |
| DB | Melvin White | Louisiana–Lafayette |
| Position | Name | Team |
| PK | Brett Baer | Louisiana–Lafayette |
| P | Will Atterberry | North Texas |
| RS | John Evans | Western Kentucky |

## Coaches

NOTE: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | Sun Belt record |
| Arkansas State | Gus Malzahn | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Florida Atlantic | Carl Pelini | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Florida International | Mario Cristobal | 6 | 24–38 | 24–38 | 18–20 |
| Louisiana–Lafayette | Mark Hudspeth | 2 | 75–25 | 9–4 | 6–2 |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Todd Berry | 3 | 38–74 | 9–15 | 7–9 |
| Middle Tennessee | Rick Stockstill | 7 | 35–40 | 35–40 | 26–19 |
| North Texas | Dan McCarney | 2 | 61–92 | 5–7 | 4–4 |
| South Alabama | Joey Jones | 4 | 26–11 | 23–4 | 0–0 |
| Troy | Larry Blakeney | 24 | 163–92–1 | 163–92–1 | 42–17 |
| Western Kentucky | Willie Taggart | 3 | 9–15 | 9–15 | 9–7 |

## Sun Belt vs. BCS AQ Conference matchups

| Date | Visitor | Home | Notes |
| September 1 | Arkansas State 34 | #5 Oregon 57 | |
| September 1 | North Texas 14 | #3 LSU 41 | |
| September 1 | Florida International 26 | Duke 46 | |
| September 8^ | #8 Arkansas 31 | Louisiana–Monroe 34 | Played in Little Rock, AR. First SBC win over Top 10 team in history |
| September 8 | Western Kentucky 0 | #1 Alabama 35 | |
| September 15 | Arkansas State 13 | Nebraska 42 | |
| September 15 | Louisiana–Lafayette 24 | Oklahoma State 65 | |
| September 15 | Louisiana–Monroe 28 | Auburn 31 | |
| September 15 | South Alabama 7 | NC State 31 | |
| September 15 | Mississippi State 30 | Troy 24 | |
| September 15 | North Texas 21 | Kansas State 35 | |
| September 15 | Western Kentucky 32 | Kentucky 31 | WKU's first win over SEC competition |
| September 15 | Florida Atlantic 20 | Georgia 56 | |
| September 21 | Baylor 47 | Louisiana–Monroe 42 | |
| September 22 | Florida Atlantic 7 | Alabama 40 | |
| September 22 | Louisville 28 | Florida International 21 | |
| September 22 | South Alabama 10 | Mississippi State 30 | |
| September 29 | Middle Tennessee 49 | Georgia Tech 28 | |
| October 20 | Middle Tennessee 3 | #15 Mississippi State 45 | |
| November 3 | Troy 48 | Tennessee 55 | |
| November 10 | Louisiana-Lafayette 20 | #7 Florida 27 | |
| ^Denotes neutral site game ||||

## Regular season

* Index to colors and formatting
* Sun Belt member won
* Sun Belt member lost
* Sun Belt teams in bold
The Sun Belt has teams in two different time zones. Times reflect start time in respective time zone of each team (all teams central time except for Florida Atlantic and Florida International which are in eastern time). Conference games start times are that of the home team.
Rankings reflect that of the USA Today Coaches poll for that week, until week eight when the BCS poll was used.

### Week 1

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 6:30 p.m. | McNeese St | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN | ESPN3 | L 21-27 | 18,690 |
| August 31 | 8:00 p.m. | Wagner | Florida Atlantic | FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL | ESPN3 | W 7-3 | 14,510 |
| September 1 | 11:00 a.m. | Troy | UAB | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | Fox College Sports | W 39-29 | 28,612 |
| September 1 | 1:00 p.m. | UTSA | South Alabama | Ladd-Peebles Stadium • Mobile, AL | ESPN3 | L 31-33 | 17,144 |
| September 1 | 6:00 p.m. | North Texas | #3 LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA | ESPNU | L 14-41 | 92,059 |
| September 1 | 6:00 p.m. | Austin Peay | Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | ESPN3 | W 49-10 | 16,327 |
| September 1 | 6:00 p.m. | Lamar | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA | ESPN3/Ragin Cajuns Network | W 40-0 | 25,803 |
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida International | Duke | Wallace Wade Stadium • Durham, NC | ESPN3 | L 26-46 | 31,117 |
| September 1 | 9:30 p.m. | Arkansas State | #5 Oregon | Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR | ESPN | L 34-57 | 56,144 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Shawn Southward | Troy | De'Von Terry | Troy | Brett Baer | Louisiana–Lafayette |

### Week 2

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 8 | 2:30 p.m. | Western Kentucky | #1 Alabama | Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | SEC Network | L 0-35 | 101,821 |
| September 8 | 4:00 p.m. | Nicholls State | South Alabama | Ladd-Peebles Stadium • Mobile, AL | ESPN3 | W 9–3 | 15,237 |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Memphis | Arkansas State | ASU Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | ESPN3 | W 33-28 | 28,041 |
| September 8^ | 6:00 p.m. | #8 Arkansas | Louisiana-Monroe | War Memorial Stadium • Little Rock, AR | ESPNU | W 34-31 OT | 53,089 |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Texas Southern | North Texas | Apogee Stadium • Denton, TX | TXA21 | W 34-7 | 22,259 |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Akron | Florida International | FIU Stadium • Miami, FL | ESPN3 | W 41-38 | 15,685 |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN | ESPN3 | MT 31-17 | 16,227 |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | Troy | Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL | ESPN3 | ULL 37-24 | 17,981 |
^ Neutral site
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Kolton Browning | Louisiana-Monroe | Jemarlous Moten | Louisiana-Lafayette | Brett Baer (2) | Louisiana-Lafayette |

### Week 3

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 15 | 11:00 a.m. | Louisiana-Monroe | Auburn | Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL | SEC Network | L 28-31 OT | 85,214 |
| September 15 | 11:00 a.m. | Arkansas State | Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE | ESPN2 | L 13-42 | 85,290 |
| September 15 | 11:00 a.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | Oklahoma State | Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, OK | FSN | L 24-65 | 56,062 |
| September 15 | 4:00 p.m. | Florida International | UCF | Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL | CSS | L 20-33 | 40,478 |
| September 15 | 5:00 p.m. | South Alabama | NC State | Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, NC | ESPN3 | L 7-31 | 54,132 |
| September 15 | 6:00 p.m. | Mississippi State | Troy | Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL | ESPN3 | L 24-30 | 29,013 |
| September 15 | 6:00 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Kentucky | Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY | ESPNU | W 32-31 OT | 53,980 |
| September 15 | 6:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Memphis | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN | | W 48-30 | 27,113 |
| September 15 | 6:00 p.m. | North Texas | #15 Kansas State | Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium • Manhattan, KS | FSN | L 21-35 | 50,290 |
| September 15 | 6:30 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | #7 Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA | CSS | L 20-56 | 92,746 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Antonio Andrews | Western Kentucky | Jonathan Dowling | Western Kentucky | Hendrix Brakefield | Western Kentucky |

### Week 4

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 21 | 7:00 p.m. | Baylor | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA | ESPN^ | L 42-47 | 31,175 |
| September 22 | 4:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | #1 Alabama | Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | PPV | L 7-40 | 101,821 |
| September 22 | 6:00 p.m. | #18 Louisville | Florida International | FIU Stadium • Miami, FL | ESPN3 | L 21-28 | 12,318 |
| September 22 | 6:00 p.m. | Southern Miss | Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | ESPN3 | W 42-17 | 23,252 |
| September 22 | 6:00 p.m. | Alcorn St. | Arkansas State | ASU Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | ESPN3 | W 56-0 | 21,559 |
| September 22 | 6:00 p.m. | South Alabama | #23 Mississippi State | Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS | Bulldog Sports | L 10-30 | 55,186 |
| September 22 | 6:00 p.m. | Troy | North Texas | Apogee Stadium • Denton, TX | ESPN3 | Troy 14-7 | 21,823 |
^ULM-Baylor game was most watched Sun Belt game on ESPN in history.
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Antonio Andrews (2) | Western Kentucky | Brynden Trawick | Troy | Will Scott | Troy |

### Week 5

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 29 | 11:30 a.m. | Middle Tennessee | Georgia Tech | Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA | ACC RSN | W 49-28 | 39,270 |
| September 29 | 2:30 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe | Tulane | Mercedes-Benz Superdome • New Orleans, LA | CST | W 63-10 | 18,063 |
| September 29 | 2:30 p.m. | Troy | South Alabama | Ladd-Peebles Stadium • Mobile, AL | SBN | Troy 31-10 | 23,789 |
| September 29 | 4:00 p.m. | North Texas | Florida Atlantic | FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL | ESPN3 | UNT 20-14 | 13,888 |
| September 29 | 6:00 p.m. | Florida International | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA | ESPN3 | ULL 48-20 | 21,109 |
| September 29 | 6:00 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Arkansas State | ASU Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | ESPN3 | WKU 26-16 | 25,160 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Benny Cunningham | Middle Tennessee | Quanterus Smith | Western Kentucky | Brett Baer (3) | Louisiana-Lafayette |

### Week 6

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 4 | 6:30 p.m. | Arkansas State | Florida International | FIU Stadium • Miami, FL | ESPNU | ASU 34-20 | 13,612 |
| October 6 | 2:30 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN | SBN | ULM 31-17 | 21,067 |
| October 6 | 4:00 p.m. | Tulane | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA | RCN/Cox4/ESPN3 | ULL 41-13 | 29,758 |
| October 6 | 6:00 p.m. | North Texas | Houston | Robertson Stadium • Houston, TX | CSS | L 21-44 | 25,476 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Kolton Browning (2) | Louisiana-Monroe | Qushaun Lee | Arkansas State | Brett Baer (4) | Louisiana-Lafayette |

### Week 7

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 11 | 6:30 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Troy | Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL | ESPNU | WKU 31-26 | 16,426 |
| October 13 | 5:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Florida International | FIU Stadium • Miami, FL | | MT 34-30 | 15,234 |
| October 13 | 6:00 p.m. | South Alabama | Arkansas State | ASU Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | | ASU 36-29 | 22,143 |
| October 13 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA | SBN/CSS | ULM 35-14 | 16,782 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Benny Cunningham (2) | Middle Tennessee | Nathan Herrold | Arkansas State | Michel Chapuseaux | South Alabama |

### Week 8

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 16 | 8:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | North Texas | Apogee Stadium • Denton, TX | ESPN2 | UNT 30-23 | 17,055 |
| October 20 | 12:00 p.m. | Florida International | Troy | Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL | SBN/CSS | Troy 38-37 | 17,354 |
| October 20 | 2:30 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | South Alabama | Ladd-Peebles Stadium • Mobile, AL | | USA 37-34 | 17,566 |
| October 20 | 3:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe | Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | ESPN3 | ULM 43-42 | 22,323 |
| October 20 | 6:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Mississippi St | Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS | ESPN2 | L 3-45 | 55,108 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Kolton Browning (3) | Louisiana-Monroe | Zach Orr | North Texas | Pat Moore | South Alabama |

### Week 9

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 23 | 7:00 p.m. | Arkansas State | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA | ESPN2 | ASU 50-27 | 19,873 |
| October 27 | 2:30 p.m. | North Texas | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN | ESPN3 | MT 38-21 | 14,102 |
| October 27 | 4:00 p.m. | Troy | Florida Atlantic | FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL | | FAU 34-27 | 11,968 |
| October 27 | 5:00 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Florida International | FIU Stadium • Miami, FL | ESPN3 | WKU 14-6 | 12,842 |
| October 27 | 6:00 p.m. | South Alabama | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA | | ULM 38-24 | 14,556 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Logan Kilgore | Middle Tennessee | Quanterus Smith (2) | Western Kentucky | Brian Davis | Arkansas State |

### Week 10

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 1 | 8:15 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | ESPNU | MT 34-29 | 17,327 |
| November 3 | 11:00 a.m. | Troy | Tennessee | Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN | SEC Regional | L 48-55 | 84,189 |
| November 3 | 2:30 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | Navy | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, MD | CBSSN | L 17-24 | 29,326 |
| November 3 | 3:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA | SBN/ESPN3 | ULL 40-24 | 20,203 |
| November 3 | 3:30 p.m. | Florida International | South Alabama | Ladd-Peebles Stadium • Mobile, AL | | FIU 28-20 | 11,936 |
| November 3 | 4:00 p.m. | Arkansas State | North Texas | Apogee Stadium • Denton, TX | | ASU 37-19 | 17,534 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Terrance Broadway | Louisiana-Lafayette | Jordan Hunt | Florida International | Reggie Whatley | Middle Tennessee |

### Week 11

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe | Arkansas State | ASU Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | ESPNU | ASU 45-23 | 30,243 |
| November 10 | 11:20 a.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | Florida | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL | SEC Regional | L 20-27 | 86,482 |
| November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | SBN | FAU 37-28 | 14,185 |
| November 10 | 2:30 p.m. | Navy | Troy | Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL | ESPN3 | W 41-31 | 24,321 |
| November 10 | 4:30 p.m. | South Alabama | North Texas | Apogee Stadium • Denton, TX | | UNT 24-14 | 15,963 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Ryan Aplin | Arkansas State | Emeka Onyenekwu | Louisiana-Lafayette | Will Scott (2) | Troy |

### Week 12

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 16 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida International | Florida Atlantic | FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL | ESPNU | FIU 34-24 | 15,405 |
| November 17 | 2:30 p.m. | Arkansas State | Troy | Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, AL | IMG Sports | ASU 41-34 | 20,614 |
| November 17 | 2:30 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | South Alabama | Ladd-Peebles Stadium • Mobile, AL | | MT 20-12 | 15,087 |
| November 17 | 3:00 p.m. | North Texas | Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA | ESPN3 | ULM 42-16 | 14,079 |
| November 17 | 6:00 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA | ESPN3 | ULL 31-27 | 20,314 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Ryan Aplin (2) | Arkansas State | Jajuan Harley | Middle Tennessee | Richard Leonard | Florida International |

### Week 13

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 24 | 12:00 p.m. | North Texas | Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY | SBN | WKU 25-24 | 11,074 |
| November 24 | 2:30 p.m. | Troy | Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN | ESPN3 | MT 24-21 | 18,605 |
| November 24 | 4:00 p.m. | South Alabama | Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field • Lafayette, LA | RCN/ESPN3 | ULL 52-30 | 20,333 |
| November 24 | TBD | Louisiana-Monroe | Florida International | FIU Stadium • Miami, FL | | ULM 23-17 | 12,115 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Antonio Andrews (3) | Western Kentucky | Kevin Byard | Middle Tennessee | Michel Chapuseaux (2) | South Alabama |

### Week 14

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| December 1 | 2:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette | Florida Atlantic | FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL | | ULL 35-21 | 11,522 |
| December 1 | 2:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Arkansas State | ASU Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | ESPN3 | ASU 45-0 | 31,243 |
| December 1 | 6:00 p.m. | South Alabama | Hawaii | Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI | Root | L 7-23 | 27,865 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Ryan Aplin (3) | Arkansas State | Nathan Herrold (2) | Arkansas State | Brian Davis (2) | Arkansas State |

## Bowl games

The Sun Belt placed four teams in bowl games with five teams bowl eligible in 2012. This was the highest number of SBC bowl teams in the conference's history. Only Middle Tennessee was not selected for a bowl. Two Sun Belt teams made their first bowl games in school history: Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Monroe.
NOTE: All times are local
| Bowl | Date | Time | SBC team (Record) | Opponent (Record) | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| 2012 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | December 22 | 11:00 a.m. | Louisiana-Lafayette (8–4) | East Carolina (8–4) | Mercedes-Benz Superdome • New Orleans, LA | ESPN | W 43–34 | 48,828 |
| 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl | December 26 | 6:30 p.m. | Western Kentucky (7–5) | Central Michigan (6–6) | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | ESPN | L 21–24 | 23,310 |
| 2012 Advocare V100 Independence Bowl | December 28 | 1:00 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe (8–4) | Ohio (8–4) | Independence Stadium • Shreveport, LA | ESPN | L 14–45 | 41,853 |
| 2013 GoDaddy.com Bowl | January 6 | 8:00 p.m. | Arkansas State (9–3) | #25 Kent State (11–2) | Ladd-Peebles Stadium • Mobile, AL | ESPN | W 17–13 | 37,913 |

## Players of the Year

2012 Sun Belt Player of the Year awards
| Award | Player | School |
| Player of the Year | Ryan Aplin | Arkansas State |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Kolton Browning | Louisiana-Monroe |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Quanterus Smith | Western Kentucky |
| Freshman of the Year | J. D. McKissic | Arkansas State |
| Coach of the Year | Todd Berry | Louisiana-Monroe |

## All-Sun Belt Team

Coaches All-Conference Selections
| Position | Player | Class | Team |
| First Team Offense ||||
| QB | Ryan Aplin | SR | Arkansas State |
| RB | David Oku | JR | Arkansas State |
| RB | Antonio Andrews | SR | Western Kentucky |
| WR | Brent Leonard | SR | Louisiana-Monroe |
| WR | Anthony Amos | SR | Middle Tennessee |
| WR | Chip Reeves | SR | Troy |
| TE | Jack Doyle | SR | Western Kentucky |
| OL | Zack McKnight | SR | Arkansas State |
| OL | Micah James | SR | Middle Tennessee |
| OL | Aaron Fortenberry | SS | North Texas |
| OL | Kyle Wilborn | SR | Troy |
| OL | Adam Smith | SR | Western Kentucky |
| First Team Defense ||||
| DL | Ryan Carrethers | JR | Arkansas State |
| DL | Tourek Williams | SR | Florida International |
| DL | Emeka Onyenekwu | SR | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| DL | Quanterus Smith | SR | Western Kentucky |
| LB | Nathan Herrold | SR | Arkansas State |
| LB | Jake Johnson | SR | South Alabama |
| LB | Andrew Jackson | JR | Western Kentucky |
| DB | Johnathan Cyprien | SR | Florida International |
| DB | Jemarlous Moten | SR | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| DB | Brynden Trawick | SR | Troy |
| DB | Jonathan Dowling | SO | Western Kentucky |
| First Team Special Teams ||||
| PK | Brett Baer | SR | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| P | Brett Baer | SR | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| RS | Reggie Whatley | SO | Middle Tennessee |
| AP | Antonio Andrews | JR | Western Kentucky |
| Position | Player | Class | Team |
| Second Team Offense ||||
| QB | Kolton Browning | JR | Louisiana-Monroe |
| RB | Benny Cunningham | SR | Middle Tennessee |
| RB | Shawn Southward | SR | Troy |
| WR | J. D. McKissic | FR | Arkansas State |
| WR | William Dukes | SO | Florida Atlantic |
| WR | Harry Peoples | SR | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| TE | Nexon Dorvilus | JR | Florida Atlantic |
| OL | Caylin Hauptmann | SR | Florida International |
| OL | Leonardo Bates | SR | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| OL | Jonathon Gill | SR | Louisiana-Monroe |
| OL | Andre Huval | JR | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| OL | Josh Allen | JR | Louisiana-Monroe |
| Second Team Defense ||||
| DL | Tim Starson | SR | Arkansas State |
| DL | Omar McLendon | SR | Middle Tennessee |
| DL | Alex Page | JR | South Alabama |
| DL | Tony Davis | SR | Troy |
| LB | R. J. Young | SR | Louisiana-Monroe |
| LB | Zach Orr | JR | North Texas |
| LB | Kanorris Davis | SR | Troy |
| DB | Brent Harstad | SR | Florida Atlantic |
| DB | Isaiah Newsome | JR | Louisiana-Monroe |
| DB | Kevin Byard | FR | Middle Tennessee |
| DB | Zac Whitfield | FR | North Texas |
| Second Team Special Teams ||||
| PK | Brian Davis | JR | Arkansas State |
| P | Will Atterberry | SR | North Texas |
| RS | Antonio Andrews | JR | Western Kentucky |
| AP | Deon Anthony | JR | Troy |

## Home attendance

| Team | Stadium (Capacity) | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Total | Average | % of Capacity |
| Arkansas State | Liberty Bank Stadium (30,964) | 28,041 | 21,559 | 25,160 | 22,143 | 30,243 | 31,243 | 158,389 | 26,398 | 85.3% |
| Florida Atlantic | FAU Stadium (30,000) | 14,510 | 13,888 | 11,968 | 15,405 | 11,522 | | 67,293 | 13,459 | 44.9% |
| Florida International | FIU Stadium (23,500) | 15,685 | 12,318 | 13,612 | 15,234 | 12,842 | 12,115 | 81,806 | 13,634 | 58.0% |
| Louisiana–Lafayette | Cajun Field (31,000) | 25,803 | 21,109 | 29,758 | 19,873 | 20,314 | 20,333 | 137,190 | 22,865 | 73.8% |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Malone Stadium (30,427) | 31,175 | 16,782 | 14,556 | 20,203 | 14,079 | | 96,795 | 19,359 | 63.6% |
| Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium (30,788) | 18,690 | 16,227 | 21,067 | 14,102 | 18,605 | | 88,691 | 17,738 | 57.6% |
| North Texas | Apogee Stadium (30,850) | 22,259 | 21,823 | 17,055 | 17,534 | 15,963 | | 94,634 | 18,927 | 61.4% |
| South Alabama | Ladd–Peebles Stadium (33,471) | 17,144 | 15,237 | 23,789 | 17,566 | 11,936 | 15,087 | 100,759 | 16,793 | 50.2% |
| Troy | Veterans Memorial Stadium (30,000) | 17,981 | 29,013 | 16,426 | 17,354 | 24,321 | 20,614 | 125,709 | 20,952 | 69.8% |
| Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium (22,000) | 16,327 | 23,252 | 22,323 | 17,327 | 14,185 | 11,074 | 104,488 | 17,415 | 79.2% |