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.
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 Big Sky Texas State FCS Independent WAC (FBS) UC Davis Great West Big Sky UTSA FCS Independent WAC (FBS)
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 standings
Conference summaries
Championship games Conference Champion Runner-upScoreOffensive Player of the YearDefensive Player of the YearCoach 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. ConferenceChampionRecordOffensive Player of the YearDefensive Player of the YearCoach 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 CarolinaLibertyStony 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 HampshireRichmondVillanovaTowsonOld 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. 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) Colton Chapple (Harvard) Mike Catapano (Princeton) MEAC Bethune-Cookman 9–2 (8–0) Nick Elko (Delaware State) Keith Pough (Howard) Brian Jenkins (Bethune Cookman) MVFC North Dakota State 10–1 (7–1) Matt Brown (Illinois State) Marcus Williams (North Dakota State) Craig Bohl (North Dakota State) NEC WagnerAlbany 9–2 (7–1) Jordan Harris (Bryant) Nolan Nearhoof (Robert Morris) Walt Hameline (Wagner) OVC Eastern Illinois 7–4 (6–1) Erik Lora (Eastern Illinois) Blake Peiffer (Southeast Missouri State) Dino Babers (Eastern Illinois) Patriot Colgate 8–3 (6–0) Gavin McCarney (Colgate) Robert McCabe (Georgetown) Dick Biddle (Colgate) Pioneer ButlerDrake 8–3 (7–1) Matt Lancaster (Butler) Tyler Moorehead (Drake) Jeff Voris (Butler) Southern Georgia SouthernAppalachian StateWofford 8–3 (6–2) Eric Breitenstein (Wofford) Jeremy Kimbrough (Appalachian State)Davis Tull (Chattanooga) Kevin Higgins (The Citadel)Pat Sullivan (Samford) Southland Central ArkansasSam Houston State 9–2 (6–1)8–3 (6–1) Wynrick Smothers (Central Arkansas) Darnell Taylor (Sam Houston State) Clint Conque (Central Arkansas)
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
* 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.
SchoolOutgoing coachDateReasonReplacement 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
SchoolOutgoing coachDate announcedReasonReplacement 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.
See also
2012 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings
References