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.

2012 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
DurationAugust – November
Payton AwardTaylor Heinicke, Old Dominion[1]
Buchanan AwardCaleb Schreibeis, Montana State[1]
Playoff
DurationNovember 24 – December 15
Championship dateJanuary 5, 2013
Championship siteFC Dallas Stadium, Frisco, TX
ChampionNorth Dakota State
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons

Conference changes
Main article: 2010–13 NCAA conference realignment

Several teams changed conferences from the 2011 season. Texas State of the Southland Conference (but technically played as an independent in 2011), Massachusetts of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and independents South Alabama and UTSA are transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision and were transitional FBS members in 2012; all four will were to become full FBS members in 2013.

The Great West Conference dropped football after all of its five football members in the 2011 season joined other conferences. Cal Poly, North Dakota, Southern Utah and UC Davis all joined the Big Sky Conference. South Dakota joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

In their third year as a program, Georgia State, already a full member of the CAA, joined the football conference after two years as an independent. However, this was the Panthers' only season as a CAA football member, as the school has announced that it would begin an FBS transition in 2012 in advance of its July 2013 move to the Sun Belt Conference.[2]

There were no teams playing as independents in 2012.

School2011 Conference2012 Conference
Cal PolyGreat WestBig Sky
Georgia StateIndependentCAA
MassachusettsCAAMAC (FBS)
North DakotaGreat WestBig Sky
South AlabamaIndependentSun Belt (FBS)
South DakotaGreat WestMVFC
Southern UtahGreat WestBig Sky
Texas StateIndependentWAC (FBS)
UC DavisGreat WestBig Sky
UTSAIndependentWAC (FBS)

FCS team wins over FBS teams

Conference standings
2012 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 4 Eastern Washington +^  7 –1     11 –3  
No. 2 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 participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2012 Big South Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 10 Stony Brook +^  5 –1     10 –3  
Coastal Carolina +^  5 –1     8 –4  
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 participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2012 Colonial Athletic Association football standings
Conf  Overall
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 participant
  • Georgia 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
Conf  Overall
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
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 25 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 participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2012 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conf  Overall
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 participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2012 Northeast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
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 participant
2012 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 25 Eastern Illinois $^  6 –1     7 –5  
No. 21 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 participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
2012 Patriot League football standings
Conf  Overall
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 participant
  • Fordham 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
Conf  Overall
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
Conf  Overall
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 participant
Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll
2012 Southland Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 5 Sam Houston State +^  6 –1     11 –4  
No. 8 Central Arkansas +^  6 –1     9 –3  
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 participant
As of Final Standings; Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll
2012 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East
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
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
December 8, 2012
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Texas Southern ineligible for the SWAC Championship due to failing to fulfill NCAA graduation rate requirement (2012), repeated infractions, and lying to NCAA about self-imposed restrictions (2013 & 2014)
As of November 4, 2012; Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll

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[3] Rico Richardson (WR, Jackson State)[4] Brandon Thurmond (DT, Arkansas–Pine Bluff)[4]

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[a 1]		 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)
  1. 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

At large qualifiers

Abstains

Postseason

NCAA FCS Playoff bracket
  First Round
November 24
Campus Sites		     Second Round
December 1
Campus Sites		     Quarterfinals
December 7 and December 8
Campus Sites		     Semifinals
December 14 and December 15
Campus Sites		     National Championship Game

January 5
FC Dallas Stadium,
Frisco, Texas
ESPN2
Dial Global Sports[5]

                                               
      South Dakota State 3  
  Eastern Illinois 10     1 North Dakota State* 28    
  South Dakota State* 58         1 North Dakota State* 14  
    Wofford 7    
    New Hampshire 7    
  Wofford* 23  
    1 North Dakota State* 23  
    5 Georgia Southern 20    
      Coastal Carolina 35  
  Coastal Carolina 24     4 Old Dominion* 63    
  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 20     2 Eastern Washington* 29    
  Wagner* 31         2 Eastern Washington* 51  
    Illinois State 35    
    Illinois State †38    
  Appalachian State* 37  
    2 Eastern Washington* 42  
    Sam Houston State 45  
      Stony Brook 10  
  Villanova 10     3 Montana State* 16    
  Stony Brook* 20         3 Montana State* 16  
    Sam Houston State 34  
    Cal Poly 16    
  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[6] Dawson Odums (interim)
Davidson Tripp Merritt November 5 Fired[7] Brett Hayford (interim)
Florida A&M Joe Taylor November 7 Retired[8] Earl Holmes (interim)

End of season
School Outgoing coach Date announced Reason Replacement
Georgia State Bill Curry August 15 Retired[9] Trent Miles[10]
Campbell Dale Steele November 5 Fired[11] Mike Minter[12]
Northwestern State Bradley Dale Peveto November 19 Fired[13] Jay Thomas[14]
Western Illinois Mark Hendrickson November 19 Fired[15] Bob Nielson[16]
Morehead State Matt Ballard November 20 Fired[17] Rob Tenyer[18]
Indiana State Trent Miles November 30 Hired by Georgia State[10] Mike Sanford[19]
Jacksonville State Jack Crowe November 30 Fired[20] Bill Clark[21]
UC Davis Bob Biggs December 1 Retired[22] Ron Gould[23]
Appalachian State Jerry Moore December 2 Retired[24] Scott Satterfield[25]
Cornell Kent Austin December 17 Hired by Hamilton Tiger-Cats[26] David Archer[27]
San Diego Ron Caragher December 17 Hired by San Jose State[28] Dale Lindsey
Davidson Brett Hayford December 21 Permanent replacement Paul Nichols[29]
Charleston Southern Jay Mills January 3 Retired[30] Jamey Chadwell[31]
Delaware K. C. Keeler January 7 Fired[32] Dave Brock[33]
Gardner–Webb Ron Dickerson, Jr. January 17 Resigned[34] Carroll McCray[35]
Savannah State Steve Davenport April 17 Fired[36] Earnest Wilson III[37]
  • In addition to the above changes, Southern named its interim head coach Dawson Odums as permanent head coach on December 14.[38]

See also

References
  1. "Taylor Heinicke wins Payton Award". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 17, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  2. McMurphy, Brett (April 7, 2012). "Sun Belt adding Georgia State". College Football Insider. CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  3. "UAPB Comes from Behind to Win SWAC Title!!!!!" (Press release). Southwestern Athletic Conference. December 8, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  4. "SWAC Releases 2012 All-Conference Team" (Press release). Southwestern Athletic Conference. December 4, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  5. "2013 FCS National Championship Bowl: North Dakota State Bisons vs. Sam Houston State Bearkats". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  6. "Mitchell reassigned, Odums named interim coach" (Press release). Southern University Athletic Media Relations. September 17, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  7. "Davidson dismisses head coach Merritt" (Press release). Davidson College Athletic Media Relations. November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  8. "Joe Taylor Steps Down As FAMU Head Football Coach" (Press release). Florida A&M Sports Information. November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  9. "Bill Curry to retire after season". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 15, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  10. "Georgia State hires Trent Miles". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 30, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  11. "Campbell head coach Steele will not return in 2013" (Press release). Campbell University Athletic Media Relations. November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  12. "Mike Minter named head football coach at Campbell University" (Press release). Campbell University Athletic Media Relations. November 27, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  13. "Bradley Dale Peveto won't return". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 28, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  14. "Former Southland champion coach Jay Thomas takes over NSU football" (Press release). Northwestern State University Sports Information. December 20, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  15. "Western Illinois football coach won't return". The Register-Mail. Galesburg.com. November 20, 2012. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  16. "Bob Nielson Named Leatherneck Head Football Coach" (Press release). Western Illinois Athletics. December 19, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  17. "Morehead State fires football coach Ballard". Lexington Herald-Leader. November 20, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  18. "Tenyer Introduced as Morehead State Head Football Coach" (Press release). Morehead State University Athletic Media Relations. December 13, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  19. "Mike Sanford Tabbed As Indiana State Head Football Coach" (Press release). Indiana State University Athletics. December 14, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  20. "Head football coach Jack Crowe out at Jacksonville State". AL.com. Jacksonville State Sports Information. December 1, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  21. "JSU Announces Bill Clark as Head Football Coach" (Press release). Jacksonville State University Athletics. December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  22. "Biggs To Retire From Coaching After 2012 Season" (Press release). UC Davis Sports Information. December 1, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  23. "Ron Gould Named UC Davis Head Football Coach" (Press release). UC Davis Sports Information. December 17, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  24. "Jerry Moore Tenure Comes to an End at Appalachian" (Press release). Appalachian Sports Information. December 2, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  25. "Satterfield Named App State's 20th Football Coach" (Press release). Appalachian Sports Information. December 14, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  26. Brady, Rachel (December 17, 2012). "Ticats hire Kent Austin to be head coach, head up football operations". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  27. "David Archer '05 Named The 27th Football Coach At Cornell University" (Press release). Cornell University Sports Information. January 3, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  28. "Caragher Named New San Jose State University Head Football Coach" (Press release). University of San Diego Official Athletic Site. December 17, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  29. "Davidson Names Alum Paul Nichols Head Football Coach" (Press release). Davidson College Athletics. December 21, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  30. "Charleston Southern football coach Mills resigns". FOXSports.com. Associated Press. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 26, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  31. Shelton, David (January 18, 2013). "Charleston Southern introduces Chadwell as new football coach". The Post and Courier. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  32. Tresolini, Kevin (January 7, 2013). "UD fires football coach K.C. Keeler". The News Journal. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  33. "Rutgers OC Dave Brock headed to Delaware" (Press release). ESPN. January 18, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  34. "Gardner–Webb coach resigns". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 18, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  35. "North Greenville football coach McCray leaves for Gardner-Webb". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina: GoUpstate.com. January 28, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  36. Heath, Donald (17 April 2013). "SSU fires football coach Davenport". Savannah Morning News. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  37. "Earnest Wilson III hired as new SSU football coach". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  38. "Broussard tabs Odums as Southern's head coach" (Press release). Southern University Athletic Media Relations. December 14, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.