2012 NCAA Division III football season
{{Short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college football season
| type = NCAA Division III
| year = 2012
| image =
| image_caption =
| regular_season = August – November 2012
| playoffs = November – December 2012
| championship = Salem Football Stadium
Salem, VA
| champion = Mount Union (11)
| gagliardi = Scottie Williams (RB), Elmhurst (IL)
}}
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.
The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Scottie Williams, running back from Elmhurst (IL).{{cite web|title=All-Time Division III Football Championship Records |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2013/d3/champ.pdf|work=NCAA|publisher=NCAA.org|access-date=December 3, 2014|pages=4–15}}
Conference changes and new programs
Conference standings
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 American Southwest Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Centennial Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Empire 8 Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Liberty League football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Midwest Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 New England Football Conference standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 New Jersey Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 North Coast Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Northern Athletics Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Northwest Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Old Dominion Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Southern Athletic Association football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 University Athletic Association football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 USA South Athletic Conference football standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{2012 NCAA Division III independents football records}} |
Conference champions
| class="wikitable" |
| Conference champions |
|---|
*American Southwest Conference – Mary Hardin–Baylor
|
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.{{cite web|title=2012 NCAA Division III National Football Championship Bracket|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2013/d3/champ.pdf|work=NCAA|publisher=NCAA.org|access-date=December 3, 2014|pages=15}}
=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=
{{32TeamBracket-Compact-NoSeeds-Byes
| RD1=First Round
Campus Sites
| RD2=Second Round
Campus Sites
| RD3=Quarterfinals
Campus Sites
| RD4=Semifinals
Campus Sites
| RD5=National Championship Game
Salem Football Stadium
Salem, Virginia
| team-width=155
| score-width=30
| RD1-team01=Linfield
| RD1-score01=27
| RD1-team02=Pacific Lutheran
| RD1-score02=24
| RD1-team03=North Central (IL)
| RD1-score03=41
| RD1-team04=Cal Lutheran
| RD1-score04=21
| RD1-team05=Bethel (MN)
| RD1-score05=24
| RD1-team06=Concordia Chicago
| RD1-score06=23
| RD1-team07=Wisconsin–Oshkosh
| RD1-score07=55
| RD1-team08=St. Scholastica
| RD1-score08=10
| RD1-team09=Hobart
| RD1-score09=38
| RD1-team10=Washington & Lee
| RD1-score10=20
| RD1-team11=Wittenberg
| RD1-score11=52
| RD1-team12=Heidelberg
| RD1-score12=38
| RD1-team13=Elmhurst
| RD1-score13=27
| RD1-team14=Coe
| RD1-score14=24
| RD1-team15=St. Thomas (MN)
| RD1-score15=48
| RD1-team16=St. Norbert
| RD1-score16=17
| RD1-team17=Mary Hardin–Baylor
| RD1-score17=59
| RD1-team18=Louisiana College
| RD1-score18=20
| RD1-team19=Franklin
| RD1-score19=42
| RD1-team20=Adrian
| RD1-score20=10
| RD1-team21=SUNY Cortland
| RD1-score21=20
| RD1-team22=Framingham State
| RD1-score22=19
| RD1-team23=Wesley
| RD1-score23=73
| RD1-team24=Mount Ida
| RD1-score24=14
| RD1-team25=Widener
| RD1-score25=44
| RD1-team26=Bridgewater State
| RD1-score26=14
| RD1-team27=Salisbury
| RD1-score27=17
| RD1-team28=Rowan
| RD1-score28=9
| RD1-team29=Johns Hopkins
| RD1-score29=42
| RD1-team30=Washington & Jefferson
| RD1-score30=10
| RD1-team31=Mount Union
| RD1-score31=72
| RD1-team32=Christopher Newport
| RD1-score32=14
| RD2-team01=Linfield
| RD2-score01=30
| RD2-team02=North Central (IL)
| RD2-score02=14
| RD2-team03=Bethel (MN)
| RD2-score03=14
| RD2-team04=Wisconsin–Oshkosh
| RD2-score04=37
| RD2-team05=Hobart
| RD2-score05=35
| RD2-team06=Wittenberg
| RD2-score06=10
| RD2-team07=Elmhurst
| RD2-score07=17
| RD2-team08=St. Thomas (MN)
| RD2-score08=24
| RD2-team09=Mary Hardin–Baylor
| RD2-score09=63
| RD2-team10=Franklin
| RD2-score10=17
| RD2-team11=SUNY Cortland
| RD2-score11=6
| RD2-team12=Wesley
| RD2-score12=56
| RD2-team13=Widener
| RD2-score13=28
| RD2-team14=Salisbury
| RD2-score14=7
| RD2-team15=Johns Hopkins
| RD2-score15=13
| RD2-team16=Mount Union
| RD2-score16=55
| RD3-team01=Linfield
| RD3-score01=24
| RD3-team02=Wisconsin–Oshkosh
| RD3-score02=31*
| RD3-team03=Hobart
| RD3-score03=7
| RD3-team04=St. Thomas (MN)
| RD3-score04=47
| RD3-team05=Mary Hardin–Baylor
| RD3-score05=32
| RD3-team06=Wesley
| RD3-score06=20
| RD3-team07=Widener
| RD3-score07=17
| RD3-team08=Mount Union
| RD3-score08=72
| RD4-team01=Wisconsin–Oshkosh
| RD4-score01=14
| RD4-team02=St. Thomas (MN)
| RD4-score02=28
| RD4-team03=Mary Hardin–Baylor
| RD4-score03=35
| RD4-team04=Mount Union
| RD4-score04=48
| RD5-team01=St. Thomas (MN)
| RD5-score01=10
| RD5-team02=Mount Union
| RD5-score02=28
}}