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
Buchanan Award	Caleb Schreibeis, Montana State
Division I FCS football season
«2011 2013»

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

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.

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.