2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season

2012 NCAA Division I FCS season
Duration	August – November
Playoff
Duration	November 24, 2012 – January 5, 2013
Championship site	FC Dallas Stadium, Frisco, TX
Champion	North Dakota State
Payton Award	Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion[1]
Buchanan Award	Caleb Schreibeis, Montana State[1]
Division I FCS football season
«2011 2013»

The 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level, began on August 30, 2012 and concluded with the National Championship Game of the NCAA Division I Football Championship on January 5, 2013 at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Conference changes

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 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.

School	2011 Conference	2012 Conference
Cal Poly	Great West	Big Sky
Georgia State	Independent	CAA
Massachusetts	CAA	MAC (FBS)
North Dakota	Great West	Big Sky
South Alabama	Independent	Sun Belt (FBS)
South Dakota	Great West	MVFC
Southern Utah	Great West	Big Sky
Texas State	Independent	WAC (FBS)
UC Davis	Great West	Big Sky
UTSA	Independent	WAC (FBS)

FCS team wins over FBS teams

• August 30:
  • McNeese State 27, Middle Tennessee 21
  • Eastern Washington 20, Idaho 3
• September 1:
  • Tennessee–Martin 20, Memphis 17
  • Youngstown State 31, Pittsburgh 17
• September 8:
  • Illinois State 31, Eastern Michigan 14
  • Sacramento State 30, Colorado 28
  • North Dakota State 22, Colorado State 7
  • Northern Arizona 17, UNLV 14
• September 15:
  • Cal Poly 24, Wyoming 22
• September 29:
  • Stony Brook 23, Army 3

Conference standings

2012 Big Sky football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #4 Eastern Washington +^   7 – 1         11 – 3   #2 Montana State +^   7 – 1         11 – 2   #12 Cal Poly +^   7 – 1         9 – 3   #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 co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant As of December 15, 2012 ; Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2012 Big South football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #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 co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2012 CAA football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #6 Old Dominion ^   7 – 1         11 – 2   #18 Richmond +   6 – 2         8 – 3   #13 New Hampshire +^   6 – 2         8 – 4   #15 Villanova +^   6 – 2         8 – 4   #17 Towson +   6 – 2         7 – 4   #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 official 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; under CAA bylaws, a departing school is ineligible for conference championships. As of January 7, 2013; Rankings from The Sports Network FCS 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 The Ivy League does not participate in the FCS Playoffs Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2012 MEAC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #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 FCS Poll	2012 MVFC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #1 North Dakota State $^   7 – 1         14 – 1   #14 South Dakota State ^   6 – 2         9 – 4   #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 FCS Poll
2012 NEC 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 Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2012 OVC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #25 Eastern Illinois $^   6 – 1         7 – 5   #21 Eastern Kentucky   6 – 2         8 – 3   Tennessee–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 FCS Poll	2012 Patriot League football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #24 Colgate $^   6 – 0         8 – 4   #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 ineligible for conference title because they offer football scholarships while other Patriot League members do not; Fordham's official conference record will be 0-0 and won't occupy a spot in the conference standings Rankings from The Sports Network FCS 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 Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll	2012 Southern Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #6 Georgia Southern +^   6 – 2         10 – 4   #9 Wofford +^   6 – 2         9 – 4   #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   #5 Sam Houston State +^   6 – 1         11 – 4   #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 SWAC 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: 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

• 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 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

• 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings

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. 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. 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. 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 2013-07-15. 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.