The 2012 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on September 1, 2012, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 15, 2012 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Valdosta State Blazers defeated the Winston-Salem State Rams, 35–7, to win their third Division II national title.
2012 was the final season for one of the division's oldest conferences, the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). Shortly before the start of the 2012–13 school year, the WVIAC's nine football-playing members announced plans to break away and form a new league. Before the new conference was announced, one of the nine breakaway schools (Seton Hill) chose instead to join the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference; the remaining eight schools joined with three other football-playing schools and one non-football WVIAC member left out of the original split. The new league, officially unveiled in August 2012 as the Mountain East Conference, began play in 2013.
The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Zach Zulli, quarterback from Shippensburg.
Conference changes and new programs The Great Lakes Valley Conference began football play in 2012.
School Former conference New conference Azusa Pacific Independent (NAIA) GNAC Black Hills State Independent RMAC Central Oklahoma Independent MIAA Central State Independent GLVC Indianapolis GLIAC GLVC Kentucky Wesleyan GLFC GLVC Lindenwood Independent MIAA Malone Independent (NAIA) GLIAC McKendree Independent (NAIA) GLVC McMurry American Southwest (D-III) Independent Minot State Independent NSIC Missouri S&T GLFC GLVC Nebraska–Kearney RMAC MIAA Northeastern State Independent MIAA Northwestern Oklahoma State CSFL (NAIA) Independent Notre Dame (OH) Independent GLIAC Quincy MSFA (NAIA) GLVC Saint Joseph's GLFC GLVC Shorter Mid-South (NAIA) Gulf South Sioux Falls Independent NSIC Southern Nazarene CSFL (NAIA) Independent Southwest Baptist Independent MIAA Urbana GLFC GLVC Walsh Independent (NAIA) GLIAC William Jewell Independent GLVC
Minot State, Notre Dame (OH), Simon Fraser, Sioux Falls, and William Jewell completed their transitions to Division II and became eligible for the postseason.
Regional realignment The GNAC, MIAA, and Great American moved from Super Region 4 to Super Region 3, while the RMAC and GLIAC moved in the opposite direction; the GLVC, newly sponsoring football, was assigned to Super Region 4.
Conference standings
Super Region 1
Super Region 2
Super Region 3
Super Region 4
Conference champions
Conference ChampionsCentral Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Winston-Salem State (14–1, 7–0) Great American Conference – Henderson State Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Ashland Great Lakes Valley Conference – Indianapolis Great Northwest Athletic Conference – Central Washington Gulf South Conference – West Alabama Lone Star Conference – Midwestern State and West Texas A&M Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Missouri Western State Northeast-10 Conference – New Haven Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota–Duluth (North) and Minnesota State–Mankato (South) Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Indiana (PA) Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – CSU Pueblo South Atlantic Conference – Lenoir-Rhyne Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Tuskegee West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference‡ – Shepherd
Postseason
The 2012 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 39th single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama for the 25th time.
Seeded teams Ashland Carson–Newman CSU Pueblo Henderson State Minnesota State–Mankato New Haven Winston-Salem State Valdosta State
Playoff bracket
* Home team † Overtime
Awards and honors
Harlon Hill Trophy The Harlon Hill Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player.
Player School Position 1st 2nd 3rd TotalZach Zulli Shippensburg QB 52 14 18 202Michael Hill Missouri Western RB 23 26 17 138Franklyn Quiteh Bloomsburg RB 8 27 23 101Dustin Vaughan West Texas A&M QB 10 14 10 68Taylor Housewight Ashland QB 7 14 15 64
See also 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season 2013 NCAA Division III football season 2013 NAIA football season
References