2012 NCAA Division III football season

The 2012 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 2012, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2012 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their eleventh Division III championship by defeating the St. Thomas (MN) Tommies, 28−10.

2012 NCAA Division III football season
Regular season	August – November 2012
Playoffs	November – December 2012
National championship	Salem Football Stadium Salem, VA
Champion	Mount Union (11)
Gagliardi Trophy	Scottie Williams (RB), Elmhurst (IL)
NCAA Division III football seasons

The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Scottie Williams, running back from Elmhurst (IL).

Conference changes and new programs

School	2011 conference	2012 conference
McMurry	ASC (Division III)	Heartland (Division II)

Conference standings

2012 American Southwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Mary Hardin–Baylor $^   7 – 0     13 – 1   No. 23 Louisiana College ^   6 – 1     8 – 3   Hardin–Simmons   5 – 2     6 – 4   Sul Ross   4 – 3     5 – 5   Texas Lutheran   2 – 5     4 – 6   East Texas Baptist   2 – 5     3 – 7   Mississippi College   1 – 6     2 – 8   Howard Payne   1 – 6     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2012 Centennial Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 22 Johns Hopkins $^   8 – 1     10 – 2   Muhlenberg   7 – 2     8 – 3   Gettysburg   6 – 3     7 – 3   Franklin & Marshall   6 – 3     7 – 4   Susquehanna   5 – 4     6 – 4   Ursinus   5 – 4     6 – 4   Dickinson   4 – 5     4 – 6   Juniata   2 – 7     3 – 7   Moravian   2 – 7     2 – 8   McDaniel   0 – 9     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2012 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 8 Elmhurst +^   6 – 1     10 – 2   No. 21 Wheaton (IL) +   6 – 1     8 – 2   No. 7 North Central (IL) +^   6 – 1     9 – 3   Augustana (IL)   4 – 3     5 – 5   Illinois Wesleyan   3 – 4     6 – 4   Millikin   2 – 5     5 – 5   Carthage   1 – 6     3 – 7   North Park   0 – 7     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2012 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Mount Ida +^   6 – 1     8 – 3   Castleton +   6 – 1     7 – 4   Gallaudet   5 – 2     7 – 3   Norwich   4 – 2     7 – 3   SUNY Maritime   2 – 4     3 – 6   Becker   2 – 5     3 – 7   Anna Maria   1 – 6     2 – 8   Husson   1 – 6     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2012 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 11 Salisbury $^   6 – 1     9 – 3   Alfred   5 – 2     6 – 4   St. John Fisher   4 – 3     8 – 3   Buffalo State   4 – 3     6 – 4   Ithaca   4 – 3     6 – 4   Utica   4 – 3     6 – 4   Frostburg State   1 – 6     3 – 7   Hartwick   0 – 7     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2012 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 20 Franklin $^   8 – 0     9 – 3   Hanover   6 – 2     6 – 4   Manchester   6 – 2     6 – 4   Bluffton   5 – 3     6 – 4   Rose–Hulman   5 – 3     5 – 5   Mount St. Joseph   3 – 5     4 – 6   Defiance   2 – 6     2 – 8   Earlham   1 – 7     1 – 9   Anderson (IN)   0 – 8     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2012 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 15 Coe $^   7 – 0     10 – 1   Simpson (IA)   4 – 3     6 – 4   Wartburg   4 – 3     6 – 4   Central (IA)   4 – 3     5 – 5   Dubuque   4 – 3     5 – 5   Buena Vista   4 – 3     4 – 6   Loras   1 – 6     2 – 8   Luther   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2012 Liberty League football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 9 Hobart $^   7 – 0     12 – 1   Union (NY)   6 – 1     6 – 4   Springfield   5 – 2     8 – 3   RPI   3 – 4     5 – 4   Merchant Marine   3 – 4     5 – 5   Rochester (NY)   3 – 4     4 – 5   WPI   1 – 6     2 – 8   St. Lawrence   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2012 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Adrian $^   6 – 0     9 – 2   Trine   5 – 1     7 – 3   Hope   4 – 2     5 – 5   Albion   3 – 3     6 – 4   Kalamazoo   2 – 4     5 – 5   Alma   1 – 5     1 – 9   Olivet   0 – 6     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2012 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 10 Widener $^   8 – 0     11 – 1   Lycoming   8 – 1     8 – 2   Delaware Valley   7 – 2     8 – 3   Albright   6 – 3     8 – 3   Lebanon Valley   5 – 4     6 – 4   Wilkes   4 – 5     5 – 5   FDU Florham   2 – 6     2 – 8   King's   2 – 7     2 – 8   Stevenson   2 – 7     2 – 8   Misericordia   0 – 9     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2012 Midwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Lake Forest +   8 – 1     8 – 2   St. Norbert +^   8 – 1     8 – 3   Carroll (WI)   7 – 2     8 – 2   Illinois College   7 – 2     8 – 2   Monmouth (IL)   5 – 4     5 – 5   Ripon   5 – 4     5 – 5   Cornell (IA)   4 – 5     4 – 6   Grinnell   2 – 7     2 – 8   Knox   2 – 7     2 – 8   Lawrence   2 – 8     2 – 8   Beloit   0 – 9     0 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2012 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 3 St. Thomas (MN) $^   8 – 0     14 – 1   No. 18 Concordia–Moorhead   6 – 2     8 – 2   No. 12 Bethel (MN) ^   6 – 2     9 – 3   Augsburg   5 – 3     7 – 3   St. Olaf   5 – 3     7 – 3   Saint John's (MN)   3 – 5     5 – 5   Gustavus Adolphus   2 – 6     3 – 7   Carleton   1 – 7     3 – 7   Hamline   0 – 8     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2012 New England Football Conference standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Bogan Division Framingham State xy$^   7 – 0     10 – 2   Bridgewater State ^   6 – 1     9 – 2   Worcester State   4 – 3     6 – 4   Coast Guard   4 – 3     5 – 4   Massachusetts Maritime   4 – 3     5 – 4   Westfield State   2 – 5     3 – 7   Fitchburg State   1 – 6     2 – 8   Maine Maritime   0 – 7     0 – 9   Boyd Division Endicott x   6 – 1     9 – 2   Salve Regina xy   6 – 1     9 – 2   Curry   5 – 2     6 – 4   Western New England   4 – 3     6 – 4   MIT   4 – 3     5 – 4   Plymouth State   1 – 6     2 – 8   Nichols   1 – 6     1 – 9   UMass Dartmouth   1 – 6     1 – 9   Championship: Framingham State 28, Salve Regina 16 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2012 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Trinity (CT) $   8 – 0     8 – 0   Middlebury   7 – 1     7 – 1   Amherst   6 – 2     6 – 2   Bates   5 – 3     5 – 3   Wesleyan   5 – 3     5 – 3   Williams   4 – 4     4 – 4   Colby   3 – 5     3 – 5   Bowdoin   1 – 7     1 – 7   Hamilton   1 – 7     1 – 7   Tufts   0 – 8     0 – 8   $ – Conference champion	2012 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 24 Cortland $^   7 – 0     9 – 2   No. 25 Rowan ^   6 – 1     7 – 3   Kean   5 – 2     5 – 4   Montclair State   5 – 3     5 – 5   Brockport   4 – 4     6 – 4   TCNJ   3 – 5     4 – 6   William Paterson   2 – 5     5 – 5   Western Connecticut   1 – 7     1 – 8   Morrisville State   1 – 7     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2012 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Ohio Wesleyan +   6 – 1     9 – 1   No. 14 Wittenberg +^   6 – 1     10 – 2   Wabash   5 – 2     8 – 2   Kenyon   5 – 2     6 – 4   Allegheny   4 – 3     5 – 5   Denison   4 – 3     4 – 6   Oberlin   3 – 4     4 – 6   DePauw   1 – 6     2 – 8   Wooster   1 – 6     2 – 8   Hiram   0 – 7     0 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2012 Northern Athletics Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Concordia (IL) $^   7 – 0     10 – 1   Concordia (WI)   6 – 1     7 – 3   Wisconsin Lutheran   5 – 2     7 – 3   Aurora   4 – 3     5 – 5   Benedictine (IL)   3 – 4     5 – 5   Lakeland   2 – 5     2 – 8   Rockford   1 – 6     2 – 8   Maranatha Baptist   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2012 Northwest Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 5 Linfield $^   6 – 0     11 – 1   No. 17 Pacific Lutheran ^   5 – 1     7 – 3   Willamette   4 – 2     8 – 2   Whitworth   3 – 3     7 – 3   Pacific (OR)   2 – 4     3 – 6   Lewis & Clark   1 – 5     4 – 5   Puget Sound   0 – 6     0 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2012 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 Mount Union $^   9 – 0     15 – 0   No. 19 Heidelberg ^   8 – 1     9 – 2   Otterbein   7 – 2     8 – 2   Baldwin Wallace   6 – 3     7 – 3   John Carroll   5 – 4     6 – 4   Ohio Northern   4 – 5     4 – 6   Muskingum   3 – 6     3 – 7   Capital   2 – 7     2 – 8   Wilmington (OH)   1 – 8     1 – 9   Marietta   0 – 9     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2012 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Washington and Lee $^   6 – 1     8 – 3   Randolph–Macon   5 – 2     7 – 3   Bridgewater   4 – 3     7 – 3   Hampden–Sydney   4 – 3     6 – 4   Guilford   4 – 3     5 – 5   Emory & Henry   3 – 4     6 – 4   Catholic University   2 – 5     3 – 7   Shenandoah   0 – 7     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2012 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Waynesburg +   7 – 1     10 – 1   Washington & Jefferson +^   7 – 1     8 – 3   Thomas More   6 – 2     7 – 3   Grove City   5 – 3     6 – 4   Bethany (WV)   3 – 5     3 – 7   Geneva   3 – 5     3 – 7   Thiel   3 – 5     3 – 7   Westminster (PA)   2 – 6     3 – 6   Saint Vincent   0 – 8     0 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
2012 Southern Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Birmingham–Southern +   3 – 1     7 – 3   Millsaps +   3 – 1     7 – 3   Rhodes   2 – 2     6 – 3   Centre   1 – 3     6 – 4   Sewanee   1 – 3     3 – 7   + – Conference co-champions	2012 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Cal Lutheran $^   7 – 0     8 – 2   Redlands   6 – 1     6 – 3   Chapman   5 – 2     6 – 3   La Verne   4 – 3     4 – 5   Whittier   3 – 4     4 – 5   Occidental   2 – 5     2 – 7   Pomona–Pitzer   1 – 6     1 – 8   Claremont–Mudd–Scripps   0 – 7     0 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com	2012 University Athletic Association football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Washington University $   3 – 0     5 – 5   Case Western Reserve   2 – 1     6 – 4   Carnegie Mellon   1 – 2     6 – 5   Chicago   0 – 3     4 – 6   $ – Conference champion
2012 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Greenville +   7 – 1     8 – 2   Northwestern (MN) +   7 – 1     8 – 3   St. Scholastica +^   7 – 1     8 – 3   Minnesota–Morris   5 – 3     6 – 4   Eureka   3 – 5     4 – 6   Martin Luther   2 – 6     4 – 6   Westminster (MO)   2 – 6     4 – 6   MacMurray   2 – 6     2 – 8   Crown   1 – 7     2 – 8   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2012 USA South Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Ferrum +   5 – 2     7 – 3   Maryville (TN) +   5 – 2     6 – 4   Christopher Newport +^   5 – 2     6 – 5   Methodist   4 – 3     5 – 5   Greensboro   3 – 4     5 – 5   LaGrange   3 – 4     3 – 7   North Carolina Wesleyan   2 – 5     3 – 7   Averett   1 – 6     1 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant	2012 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 4 Wisconsin–Oshkosh $^   7 – 0     13 – 1   No. 13 Wisconsin–Platteville   5 – 2     8 – 2   Wisconsin–Whitewater   5 – 2     7 – 3   Wisconsin–Eau Claire   4 – 3     4 – 6   Wisconsin–La Crosse   3 – 4     4 – 6   Wisconsin–River Falls   2 – 5     2 – 8   Wisconsin–Stout   1 – 6     3 – 7   Wisconsin–Stevens Point   1 – 6     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com
2012 NCAA Division III independents football records Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Wesley ^   –     10 – 2   Trinity (TX)   –     7 – 3   Huntingdon   –     6 – 3   Macalester   –     6 – 4   Austin   –     2 – 8   Presentation   –     2 – 8   ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3football.com

Conference champions

Conference champions

American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor Centennial Conference – Johns Hopkins College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin – Elmhurst, North Central (IL), and Wheaton (IL) Eastern Collegiate Football Conference – Castleton State and Mount Ida Empire 8 Conference – Salisbury Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – Franklin Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Coe Liberty League – Hobart Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Adrian Middle Atlantic Conference – Widener Midwest Conference – Lake Forest and St. Norbert Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – St. Thomas (MN) New England Football Conference – Framingham State (Bogan Division), Endicott and Salve Regina (Boyd Division) Championship Game: Framingham State 28, Salve Regina 16 New England Small College Athletic Conference – Trinity (CT) New Jersey Athletic Conference – SUNY Cortland North Coast Athletic Conference – Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference – Concordia Chicago Northwest Conference – Linfield Ohio Athletic Conference – Mount Union Old Dominion Athletic Conference – Washington & Lee Presidents' Athletic Conference – Washington & Jefferson and Waynesburg Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Cal Lutheran Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference – Trinity (TX) University Athletic Association – Washington–Saint Louis Upper Midwest Athletic Conference – Greenville, Northwestern–St. Paul, and St. Scholastica USA South Athletic Conference – Christopher Newport, Ferrum, and Maryville (TN) Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Wisconsin–Oshkosh

Postseason

The 2012 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 40th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship Stagg Bowl game was held at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia for the 20th time.

Qualification

Twenty-four conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs. Besides the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, two conferences (the SAA and UAA) had no Pool A bid, neither meeting the seven-member requirement.

Schools not in Pool A conferences were eligible for Pool B. The number of Pool B bids was determined by calculating the ratio of Pool A conferences to schools in those conferences and applying that ratio to the number of Pool B schools. The 24 Pool A conferences contained 214 schools, an average of 8.9 teams per conference. Fifteen schools were in Pool B, enough for one bid.

The remaining seven playoff spots were at-large ("Pool C") teams.

Playoff bracket

	First Round Campus Sites					Second Round Campus Sites					Quarterfinals Campus Sites					Semifinals Campus Sites					National Championship Game Salem Football Stadium Salem, Virginia
	Linfield		27
	Pacific Lutheran		24			Linfield		30
	North Central (IL)		41			North Central (IL)		14
	Cal Lutheran		21								Linfield		24
	Bethel (MN)		24								Wisconsin–Oshkosh		31*
	Concordia Chicago		23			Bethel (MN)		14
	Wisconsin–Oshkosh		55			Wisconsin–Oshkosh		37
	St. Scholastica		10													Wisconsin–Oshkosh		14
	Hobart		38													St. Thomas (MN)		28
	Washington & Lee		20			Hobart		35
	Wittenberg		52			Wittenberg		10
	Heidelberg		38								Hobart		7
	Elmhurst		27								St. Thomas (MN)		47
	Coe		24			Elmhurst		17
	St. Thomas (MN)		48			St. Thomas (MN)		24
	St. Norbert		17																		St. Thomas (MN)		10
	Mary Hardin–Baylor		59																		Mount Union		28
	Louisiana College		20			Mary Hardin–Baylor		63
	Franklin		42			Franklin		17
	Adrian		10								Mary Hardin–Baylor		32
	SUNY Cortland		20								Wesley		20
	Framingham State		19			SUNY Cortland		6
	Wesley		73			Wesley		56
	Mount Ida		14													Mary Hardin–Baylor		35
	Widener		44													Mount Union		48
	Bridgewater State		14			Widener		28
	Salisbury		17			Salisbury		7
	Rowan		9								Widener		17
	Johns Hopkins		42								Mount Union		72
	Washington & Jefferson		10			Johns Hopkins		13
	Mount Union		72			Mount Union		55
	Christopher Newport		14

* Overtime

See also

• 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season
• 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season
• 2012 NCAA Division II football season