2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season

2012 NCAA Division I FBS season
Number of teams	120 full members, 4 transitional
Duration	August 30 – December 8
Preseason AP #1	USC Trojans
Post-season
Duration	December 15, 2012 – January 7, 2013 (excluding all-star games)
Bowl games	37 (35 team-competitive and 2 all-star)
Heisman Trophy	Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M, QB
Bowl Championship Series
2013 BCS Championship Game
Site	Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida
Winner	Alabama Crimson Tide
Division I FBS football seasons
← 2011 2013 →

The 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season, play of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, began on August 30, 2012, and, not including all-star games, concluded with the 2013 BCS National Championship Game on January 7, 2013, in which the Alabama Crimson Tide repeated as unanimous national champions. Although the Ohio State Buckeyes ended up as one of the two major undefeated teams of the regular season, they were ineligible to play in the post-season due to sanctions imposed on them earlier in the year.

UMass, South Alabama, Texas State, and UTSA made the transition from FCS to FBS this season.

Rule changes

The NCAA Rules Committee approved the following rule changes for the 2012 season (mainly for safety reasons):

• Kickoffs will be moved up to the 35-yard line from the 30, mirroring a similar change by the NFL in the 2011 season and rescinding a rule change made in the 2007 season.
• The kicking team will only have a five-yard running head start on kickoffs, again mirroring the NFL changes in 2011.
• Touchbacks will move from the 20-yard line to the 25-yard line only on kickoffs and free kicks after a safety. Touchbacks on punts rolling into the end zone, fumbles into the end zone, and interceptions in the end zone will remain at the 20-yard line.
• Players will be forbidden to leap over other players when blocking punts.
• Players who lose their helmets during a play (except when caused by fouls such as grabbing the facemask) will have to leave the field for one play. When a helmet is lost during play by the ball carrier, the play is dead immediately. Any action made by or against a helmetless player is penalized as a personal foul (15 yards).
• Offensive players in the tackle box at the snap who are not in motion are allowed to block below the waist legally without restriction. All other players are restricted from blocking below the waist with some exceptions (i.e. blocking straight-on), modifying a rule change from the 2011 season.^[1]

Conference realignment

Membership changes

Includes schools transitioning to FBS.

School	Former conference	New conference
Fresno State Bulldogs	WAC	Mountain West
Hawaii Warriors	WAC	Mountain West
Massachusetts Minutemen	CAA	MAC
Missouri Tigers	Big 12	SEC
Nevada Wolf Pack	WAC	Mountain West
South Alabama Jaguars	FCS Independent	Sun Belt
TCU Horned Frogs	Mountain West	Big 12
Temple Owls	MAC	Big East
Texas A&M Aggies	Big 12	SEC
Texas State Bobcats	Southland	WAC
UTSA Roadrunners	FCS Independent	WAC
West Virginia Mountaineers	Big East	Big 12

Teams transitioning to FBS

On April 9, 2012, Georgia State University, currently a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, announced that it would rejoin the Sun Belt Conference effective in July 2013. Georgia State had been a charter Sun Belt member in 1976, but had left the conference in 1981. The Panthers will begin their FBS transition with the 2012 season, and start playing a full Sun Belt schedule upon joining the conference. Full FBS membership, along with bowl eligibility, will follow in 2014. The Panthers, who have been coached by Bill Curry since starting a football program in 2010, play home games at the Georgia Dome near the school's campus in downtown Atlanta.^[2]

Georgia State joins four other schools that are in the second and final years of FBS transitions—future Sun Belt colleagues South Alabama, former CAA football-only member and incoming MAC football member UMass, and incoming WAC members Texas State and UTSA.

Records

• The FBS record for most consecutive passes attempted from the start of a season with no interceptions, previously set by Trent Dilfer of Fresno State in 1993, was broken twice on October 20:
  • First, in a day game, Geno Smith of West Virginia set a new mark of 273 before throwing his first interception in a 55–14 loss to Kansas State.^[3]
  • In a night game, Colby Cameron of Louisiana Tech surpassed that record in the Bulldogs' 70–28 win over Idaho, ending the game at 275 attempts in the season without an interception.^[3]
• On November 10, Cameron broke Russell Wilson's FBS career record for most consecutive passes attempted without an interception (379) in Louisiana Tech's 62–55 win over Texas State.^[4] Cameron's interception-free streak ended one week later in the second quarter of the Bulldogs' 48–41 overtime loss to Utah State.^[5] His single-season streak ended at 428 attempts,^[6] and his overall record, which included pass attempts in the 2011 Poinsettia Bowl, ended at 444.^[5]
• In the same game in which Cameron broke Wilson's no-interceptions mark, his teammate, running back Kenneth Dixon, set three single-season FBS freshman records:^[4]
  • Dixon finished the game with 25 total touchdowns, breaking the record of 23 set by Marshall Faulk of San Diego State in 1991. He finished the season with 28 touchdowns (the Bulldogs did not play in a bowl despite a 9–3 record).^[7]
  • Of those 25 touchdowns, 24 were on the ground, breaking the previous record of 21 rushing touchdowns set by Faulk and equaled in 2009 by Ryan Williams of Virginia Tech. Dixon ended the season with 27 rushing TDs.^[7]
  • Dixon ended the game with 150 points on the season, breaking Faulk's previous record of 140. He ended the season with 168 points.^[7]
• On November 24, Wisconsin running back Montee Ball scored his 79th career touchdown during the Badgers' 24–21 loss to Penn State, breaking the previous record of Miami (OH) running back Travis Prentice.^[8]
• In the Big Ten Championship Game on December 1, Ball added to his collection of FBS records. In the Badgers' 70–31 win over Nebraska, he scored three touchdowns, all on the ground. Ball, who had entered the game tied with Prentice for the most FBS career rushing touchdowns, took sole possession of the record, ending the game with 76. He also tied Prentice's FBS record for most career games with multiple touchdowns, at 25.^[9]

Most watched regular season games in 2012

Rank	Date	Matchup	Channel	Viewers	TV Rating	Significance
1	December 1, 4:00 ET	#3 Georgia vs. #2 Alabama	CBS	16.2 Million*	9.8 Rating	SEC Championship
2	November 24, 8:00 ET	#1 Notre Dame vs. USC	ABC	16.1 Million*	9.4 Rating	Notre Dame-USC Rivalry
3	November 3, 8:00 ET	#1 Alabama vs. #5 LSU	CBS	11.3 Million	6.8 Rating	Alabama-LSU Rivalry
4	November 10, 3:30 ET	#15 Texas A&M vs. #1 Alabama	CBS	9.6 Million	6.1 Rating	Manziel beats Bama
5	November 24, 12:00 ET	#19 Michigan vs. #4** Ohio State	ABC	9.5 Million	5.8 Rating	The Game
6	October 27, 8:00 ET	#5 Notre Dame vs. #8 Oklahoma	ABC	8.6 Million	5.2 Rating
7	November 24, 3:30 ET	#4 Florida vs. #10 Florida State	ABC	8.5 Million	5.1 Rating	Florida-Florida State Rivalry
8	November 17, 8:00 ET	#13 Stanford vs. #2 Oregon	ABC	8.3 Million	5.1 Rating
9	September 1, 8:00 ET	#8** Michigan vs. #2** Alabama	ABC	7.9 Million	4.8 Rating	Cowboys Classic
10	October 6, 3:30 ET	#4** LSU vs. #10** Florida	CBS	7.5 Million	4.6 Rating	Florida-LSU Rivalry

Note(*): Games rate in the top six most watched games of the last 20 years. Note(**): Rankings reflect AP Poll Standings. (All others rankings reflect BCS Standings at the time of the game)

New, expanded, renovated, and temporary stadiums

Expanded stadiums

• Boise State moved their track and field program out of Bronco Stadium leading to an expansion of the bleachers over the existing track in the end zones. The new permanent additions increased capacity from 33,500 to 37,000 and will be ready for the start of the 2012 season. They are also currently building a new football facility in the north end zone to be ready for the 2013 season.
• TCU completed a major renovation of Amon G. Carter Stadium, although the listed capacity increased only by about 600, to 45,000.
• Texas State nearly doubled the size of Bobcat Stadium as part of its FBS transition. The venue, formerly holding slightly more than 16,000, now holds 30,000.
• Nebraska The University of Nebraska plans to expand Memorial Stadium by adding approximately 6,000 new seats. Each new seating area will include dedicated restrooms and concessions areas. A new grand lobby, expanded concourse, and additional first-aid areas would also be added.No current East Stadium seats will be removed and no season ticket holders will be required to relocate their seats as part of this project. A very exciting aspect of the expansion is the opportunity for the collaboration of the Athletic Department and Academics.The Nebraska Athletic Research Facility in the East Stadium is envisioned as using cutting-edge imaging technologies and research to better understand foundations of behavior that contribute to health, injury and disease from childhood obesity to college performance.Cost: $63.5 million

Renovated stadiums

• California returned to California Memorial Stadium following major renovations, which included a full seismic retrofit (as the stadium is located directly on a major fault). The stadium's capacity was reduced from its previous 71,800 to 62,700. The Golden Bears played their 2011 home schedule at AT&T Park in San Francisco, and also played a technically neutral-site game against Fresno State at Candlestick Park, also in San Francisco.
• Clemson renovated the video systems at Clemson Memorial Stadium prior to the start of the 2012 season. A new Jumbotron was installed on the primary scoreboard behind the East endzone, while two smaller Jumbotrons were installed on each side of the WestZone stands. In addition, video ribbons were installed along the facings of the upper decks.
• Michigan State completed a complete overhaul of their sound system and video boards. With the addition of two video boards in the north end zone, a video ribbon along the entire north edge and installed the fourth largest scoreboard in the NCAA in the south end zone.

Temporary stadiums

• Due to major renovations at Husky Stadium, Washington played its entire 2012 home schedule at nearby CenturyLink Field, home to the Seattle Seahawks (NFL) and Seattle Sounders FC (MLS). Because the renovation began before the end of the 2011 season, the Huskies also hosted that year's edition of the Apple Cup against Washington State at CenturyLink Field.
• Due to renovations at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Massachusetts played its entire 2012 home schedule at Gillette Stadium, home to the New England Patriots (NFL) and New England Revolution (MLS). The school is also contractually obligated to play all of its 2013 home schedule, plus at least four home games in each season from 2014 to 2016, at Gillette—approximately a 2-hour drive from the UMass campus.

Conference standings

2012 ACC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Atlantic Division #10 Florida State xy$   7 – 1         12 – 2   #11 Clemson x   7 – 1         11 – 2   NC State   4 – 4         7 – 6   Wake Forest   3 – 5         5 – 7   Maryland   2 – 6         4 – 8   Boston College   1 – 7         2 – 10   Coastal Division Georgia Tech xy   5 – 3         7 – 7   North Carolina*   5 – 3         8 – 4   Miami*   5 – 3         7 – 5   Virginia Tech   4 – 4         7 – 6   Duke   3 – 5         6 – 7   Virginia   2 – 6         4 – 8   Championship: Florida State 21, Georgia Tech 15 $ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant North Carolina ineligible for championship and postseason due to NCAA sanctions. Miami ineligible for championship and postseason due to a self-imposed postseason ban. As of January 8, 2013; Rankings from AP Poll	2012 Big East football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #13 Louisville $+   5 – 2         11 – 2   Cincinnati +   5 – 2         10 – 3   Rutgers +   5 – 2         9 – 4   Syracuse +   5 – 2         8 – 5   Pittsburgh   3 – 4         6 – 7   Connecticut   2 – 5         5 – 7   Temple   2 – 5         4 – 7   South Florida   1 – 6         3 – 9   $ – BCS representative as conference champion + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll	2012 Big Ten football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Legends Division #25 Nebraska x   7 – 1         10 – 4   #24 Michigan   6 – 2         8 – 5   #17 Northwestern   5 – 3         10 – 3   Michigan State   3 – 5         7 – 6   Iowa   2 – 6         4 – 8   Minnesota   2 – 6         6 – 7   Leaders Division #3 Ohio State* x   8 – 0         12 – 0   Penn State*   6 – 2         8 – 4   Wisconsin $   4 – 4         8 – 6   Purdue   3 – 5         6 – 7   Indiana   2 – 6         4 – 8   Illinois   0 – 8         2 – 10   Championship: Wisconsin 70, Nebraska 31 $ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Ohio State and Penn State ineligible for conference championship game and post-season bowl games due to NCAA sanctions. Rankings from AP Poll
2012 Big 12 football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #12 Kansas State $+   8 – 1         11 – 2   #15 Oklahoma +   8 – 1         10 – 3   #19 Texas   5 – 4         9 – 4   Oklahoma State   5 – 4         8 – 5   Baylor   4 – 5         8 – 5   TCU   4 – 5         7 – 6   Texas Tech   4 – 5         8 – 5   West Virginia   4 – 5         7 – 6   Iowa State   3 – 6         6 – 7   Kansas   0 – 9         1 – 11   $ – BCS representative as conference champion + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll	2012 Conference USA football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division UCF xy   7 – 1         10 – 4   East Carolina x   7 – 1         8 – 5   Marshall   4 – 4         5 – 7   Memphis   4 – 4         4 – 8   UAB   2 – 6         3 – 9   Southern Miss   0 – 8         0 – 12   West Division Tulsa xy$   7 – 1         10 – 3   SMU   5 – 3         7 – 6   Rice   4 – 4         7 – 6   Houston   4 – 4         5 – 7   UTEP   2 – 6         3 – 9   Tulane   2 – 6         2 – 10   Championship: Tulsa 33, UCF 27 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll	2012 Mid-American Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   East Division Kent State x   8 – 0         11 – 3   Bowling Green   6 – 2         8 – 5   Ohio   4 – 4         9 – 4   Buffalo   3 – 5         4 – 8   Miami   3 – 5         4 – 8   UMass   1 – 7         1 – 11   Akron   0 – 8         1 – 11   West Division #22 Northern Illinois x$   8 – 0         12 – 2   Toledo   6 – 2         9 – 4   Ball State   6 – 2         9 – 4   Central Michigan   4 – 4         7 – 6   Western Michigan   2 – 6         4 – 8   Eastern Michigan   1 – 7         2 – 10   Championship: Northern Illinois 44, Kent State 37 $ – Conference champion and BCS representative as top non-AQ school to meet automatic qualification criteria x – Division champion/co-champions UMass not eligible for conference title or bowl game as part of FBS transition Rankings from AP Poll
2012 Mountain West football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #18 Boise State +   7 – 1         11 – 2   Fresno State +   7 – 1         9 – 4   San Diego State +   7 – 1         9 – 4   Air Force   5 – 3         6 – 7   Nevada   4 – 4         7 – 6   Wyoming   3 – 5         4 – 8   Colorado State   3 – 5         4 – 8   UNLV   2 – 6         2 – 11   New Mexico   1 – 7         4 – 9   Hawaii   1 – 7         3 – 9   + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll	2012 Pac-12 football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   North Division #7 Stanford xy$   8 – 1         12 – 2   #2 Oregon x%   8 – 1         12 – 1   #20 Oregon State   6 – 3         9 – 4   Washington   5 – 4         7 – 6   California   2 – 7         3 – 9   Washington State   1 – 8         3 – 9   South Division UCLA x   6 – 3         9 – 5   Arizona State   5 – 4         8 – 5   USC   5 – 4         7 – 6   Arizona   4 – 5         8 – 5   Utah   3 – 6         5 – 7   Colorado   1 – 8         1 – 11   Championship: Stanford 27, UCLA 24 $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of January 8, 2013; Rankings from AP Poll	2012 SEC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Eastern Division #5т Georgia xy   7 – 1         12 – 2   #9 Florida x%   7 – 1         11 – 2   #8 South Carolina   6 – 2         11 – 2   #23 Vanderbilt   5 – 3         9 – 4   Missouri   2 – 6         5 – 7   Tennessee   1 – 7         5 – 7   Kentucky   0 – 8         2 – 10   Western Division #1 Alabama x$#   7 – 1         13 – 1   #14 LSU   6 – 2         10 – 3   #5т Texas A&M   6 – 2         11 – 2   Mississippi State   4 – 4         8 – 5   Ole Miss   3 – 5         7 – 6   Arkansas   2 – 6         4 – 8   Auburn   0 – 8         3 – 9   Championship: Alabama 32, Georgia 28 # – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll
2012 Sun Belt football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   Arkansas State $   7 – 1         10 – 3   Louisiana–Lafayette   6 – 2         9 – 4   Louisiana–Monroe   6 – 2         8 – 5   Middle Tennessee   6 – 2         8 – 4   WKU   4 – 4         7 – 6   Troy   3 – 5         5 – 7   North Texas   3 – 5         4 – 8   Florida Atlantic   2 – 6         3 – 9   FIU   2 – 6         3 – 9   South Alabama*   1 – 7         2 – 11   $ – Conference champion South Alabama not eligible for conference title or bowl game as part of their transition to the FBS. Rankings from AP Poll	2012 WAC football standings Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #16 Utah State $   6 – 0         11 – 2   #21 San Jose State   5 – 1         11 – 2   Louisiana Tech   4 – 2         9 – 3   UTSA*   3 – 3         8 – 4   Texas State*   2 – 4         4 – 8   Idaho   1 – 5         1 – 11   New Mexico State   0 – 6         1 – 11   $ – Conference champion Texas State and UTSA are not eligible for conference title nor bowl games as part of their transition to the FBS. As of December 15, 2012; Rankings from AP Poll	2012 Division I FBS independents football records Conf     Overall Team   W   L         W   L   #4 Notre Dame %     –           0 – 1   BYU     –           8 – 5   Navy     –           8 – 5   Army     –           2 – 10   % – BCS at-large representative As of January 7, 2013; Rankings from AP Poll

Conference summaries

Championship games

Conference	Champion	Runner-up	Score	Offensive Player of the Year	Defensive Player of the Year	Coach of the Year
ACC	Florida StateBCS	Georgia Tech	21–15	Tajh Boyd, Clemson[10]	Björn Werner, Florida State[11]	David Cutcliffe, Duke[12]
Big Ten	WisconsinBCS	Nebraska	70–31	Braxton Miller, Ohio State[13]	John Simon, Ohio State[13]	Bill O'Brien, Penn State[13]
C-USA	Tulsa	UCF	33–27	Rakeem Cato, Marshall (MVP) Zach Line, SMU	Kemal Ishmael, UCF	Bill Blankenship, Tulsa
MAC	Northern IllinoisBCS	Kent State	44–37	Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois[14]	Chris Jones, Bowling Green[14]	Darrell Hazell, Kent State[14]
Pac-12	StanfordBCS	UCLA	27–24	Marqise Lee, USC[15]	Will Sutton, Arizona State[15]	David Shaw, Stanford[15]
SEC	AlabamaBCS	Georgia	32–28	Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M[16][17]	Jarvis Jones, Georgia (AP)[16] Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina (coaches)[17]	Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M (AP and coaches)[16][17] Will Muschamp, Florida (coaches)[17]

Other conference winners

Conference	Champion	Record	Offensive Player of the Year	Defensive Player of the Year	Coach of the Year
Big 12	Kansas StateBCS Oklahoma	11–1 (8–1) 10–2 (8–1)	Collin Klein, Kansas State	Arthur Brown, Kansas State	Bill Snyder, Kansas State
Big East	LouisvilleBCS Cincinnati Rutgers Syracuse	10–2 (5–2) 9–3 (5–2) 9–3 (5–2) 7–5 (5–2)	Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville	Khaseem Greene, Rutgers	Charlie Strong, Louisville Kyle Flood, Rutgers
MWC	Boise State Fresno State San Diego State	10–2 (7–1) 9–3 (7–1) 9–3 (7–1)	Derek Carr, Fresno State	Phillip Thomas, Fresno State	Rocky Long, San Diego State
Sun Belt	Arkansas State	9–3 (7–1)	Kolton Browning, Louisiana-Monroe	Quanterus Smith, Western Kentucky	Todd Berry, Louisiana-Monroe
WAC	Utah State	10–2 (6–0)	Colby Cameron, Louisiana Tech	Travis Johnson, San Jose State	Gary Andersen, Utah State

Final BCS rankings

BCS	School	Record	Bowl Game
1	Notre Dame	12–0	BCS Championship
2	Alabama	12–1	BCS Championship
3	Florida	11–1	Sugar
4	Oregon	11–1	Fiesta
5	Kansas State	11–1	Fiesta
6	Stanford	11–2	Rose
7	Georgia	11–2	Capital One
8	LSU	10–2	Chick-fil-A
9	Texas A&M	10–2	Cotton
10	South Carolina	10–2	Outback
11	Oklahoma	10–2	Cotton
12	Florida State	11–2	Orange
13	Oregon State	9–3	Alamo
14	Clemson	10–2	Chick-fil-A
15	Northern Illinois	12–1	Orange
16	Nebraska	10–3	Capital One
17	UCLA	9–4	Holiday
18	Michigan	8–4	Outback
19	Boise State	10–2	Maaco Las Vegas
20	Northwestern	9–3	Gator
21	Louisville	10–2	Sugar
22	Utah State	10–2	Famous Idaho Potato
23	Texas	8–4	Alamo
24	San Jose State	10–2	Military
25	Kent State	11–2	GoDaddy.com

• Despite not being in the BCS rankings, Wisconsin (8–5) played in the Rose Bowl by virtue of being the Big Ten Champion.

Bowl games

Non-BCS games

Date	Game	Site	Television	Teams	Affiliations	Results
Dec. 15	Gildan New Mexico Bowl	University Stadium University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 1:00 pm	ESPN	Nevada Wolf Pack (7-5) Arizona Wildcats (7-5)	MWC Pac-12	Nevada 48 Arizona 49
	Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	Bronco Stadium Boise State University Boise, ID 4:30 pm		Toledo Rockets (9-3) #22 Utah State Aggies (10-2)	MAC WAC	Toledo 15 Utah State 41
Dec. 20	San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl	Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA 8:00 pm		San Diego State Aztecs (9-3) BYU Cougars (7-5)	MWC Independent	San Diego State 6 BYU 23
Dec. 21	Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg	Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, FL 7:30 pm		Ball State Cardinals (9-3) UCF Knights (9-4)	MAC C-USA	Ball State 17 UCF 38
Dec. 22	R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA 12:00 pm		East Carolina Pirates (8-4) Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (8-4)	C-USA Sun Belt	East Carolina 34 Louisiana-Lafayette 43
	Maaco Bowl Las Vegas	Sam Boyd Stadium University of Nevada, Las Vegas Whitney, NV 3:30 pm		#19 Boise State Broncos (10-2) Washington Huskies (7-5)	MWC Pac-12	Boise State 28 Washington 26
Dec. 24	Sheraton Hawaiʻi Bowl	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI 8:00 pm		SMU Mustangs (6-6) Fresno State Bulldogs (9-3)	C-USA MWC	SMU 43 Fresno State 10
Dec. 26	Little Caesars Pizza Bowl	Ford Field Detroit, MI 7:30 pm		WKU Hilltoppers (7-5) Central Michigan Chippewas (6-6)	Sun Belt MAC	WKU 21 Central Michigan 24
Dec. 27	Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman	RFK Stadium Washington, DC 3:00 pm		#24 San Jose State Spartans (10-2) Bowling Green Falcons (8-4)	WAC MAC	San Jose State 29 Bowling Green 20
	Belk Bowl	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC 6:30 pm		Duke Blue Devils (6-6) Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3)	ACC Big East	Duke 34 Cincinnati 48
	Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl	Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA 9:45 pm		Baylor Bears (7-5) #17 UCLA Bruins (9-4)	Big 12 Pac-12	Baylor 49 UCLA 26
Dec. 28	Advocare V100 Independence Bowl	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA 2:00 pm		Ohio Bobcats (8-4) Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (8-4)	MAC Sun Belt	Ohio 45 Louisiana-Monroe 14
	Russell Athletic Bowl	Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL 5:30 pm		Virginia Tech Hokies (6-6) Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-3)	ACC Big East	Virginia Tech 13 Rutgers 10
	Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas	Reliant Stadium Houston, TX 9:00 pm		Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-6) Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5)	Big Ten Big 12	Minnesota 31 Texas Tech 34
Dec. 29	Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl	Amon G. Carter Stadium Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX 11:45 am		Rice Owls (6-6) Air Force Falcons (6-6)	C-USA MWC	Rice 33 Air Force 14
	Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl	AT&T Park San Francisco, CA 3:15 pm	ESPN2	Arizona State Sun Devils (7-5) Navy Midshipmen (7-4)	Pac-12 Independent	Arizona State 62 Navy 28
	New Era Pinstripe Bowl	Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY 3:15 pm	ESPN	Syracuse Orange (7-5) West Virginia Mountaineers (7-5)	Big East Big 12	Syracuse 38 West Virginia 14
	Valero Alamo Bowl	Alamodome San Antonio, TX 6:45 pm		#23 Texas Longhorns (8-4) #13 Oregon State Beavers (9-3)	Big 12 Pac-12	Texas 31 Oregon State 27
	Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl	Sun Devil Stadium Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 10:15 pm		Michigan State Spartans (6-6) TCU Horned Frogs (7-5)	Big Ten Big 12	Michigan State 17 TCU 16
Dec. 31	Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl	LP Field Nashville, TN 12:05 pm		Vanderbilt Commodores (8-4) NC State Wolfpack (7-5)	SEC ACC	Vanderbilt 38 NC State 24
	Hyundai Sun Bowl	Sun Bowl Stadium University of Texas El Paso El Paso, TX 2:00 pm	CBS	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (6-7) USC Trojans (7-5)	ACC Pac-12	Georgia Tech 21 USC 7
	Autozone Liberty Bowl	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN 3:30 pm	ESPN	Iowa State Cyclones (6-6) Tulsa Golden Hurricane (10-3)	Big 12 C-USA	Iowa State 17 Tulsa 31
	Chick-fil-A Bowl	Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA 7:30 pm		#14 Clemson Tigers (10-2) #8 LSU Tigers (10-2)	ACC SEC	Clemson 25 LSU 24
Jan. 1	TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl	EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL 12:00 pm	ESPN2	Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4) #20 Northwestern Wildcats (9-3)	SEC Big Ten	Mississippi State 20 Northwestern 34
	Heart of Dallas Bowl	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX 12:00 pm	ESPNU	Purdue Boilermakers (6-6) Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-5)	Big Ten Big 12	Purdue 14 Oklahoma State 58
	Capital One Bowl	Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL 1:00 pm	ABC	#7 Georgia Bulldogs (11-2) #16 Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-3)	SEC Big Ten	Georgia 45 Nebraska 31
	Outback Bowl	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL 1:00 pm	ESPN	#10 South Carolina Gamecocks (10-2) #18 Michigan Wolverines (8-4)	SEC Big Ten	South Carolina 33 Michigan 28
Jan. 4	AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic	Cowboys Stadium Arlington, TX 8:00 pm	FOX	#9 Texas A&M Aggies (10-2) #11 Oklahoma Sooners (10-2)	SEC Big 12	Texas A&M 41 Oklahoma 13
Jan. 5	BBVA Compass Bowl	Legion Field Birmingham, AL 1:00 pm	ESPN	Pittsburgh Panthers (6-6) Ole Miss Rebels (6-6)	Big East SEC	Pittsburgh 17 Ole Miss 38
Jan. 6	GoDaddy.com Bowl	Ladd Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL 9:00 pm	ESPN	#25 Kent State Golden Flashes (11-2) Arkansas State Red Wolves (9-3)	MAC Sun Belt	Kent State 13 Arkansas State 17

2013 Bowl Championship Series schedule

Date	Game	Site	Television	Teams	Affiliations	Results
Jan. 1	Rose Bowl presented by Vizio	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA 5:00 pm	ESPN	#6 Stanford Cardinal (11–2) Wisconsin Badgers (8–5)	Pac-12 Big Ten	Stanford 20 Wisconsin 14
	Discover Orange Bowl	Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, FL 8:30 pm		#15 Northern Illinois Huskies (12–1) #12 Florida State Seminoles (11–2)	MAC (non-AQ) ACC	Northern Illinois 10 Florida State 31
Jan. 2	Allstate Sugar Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA 8:30 pm		#21 Louisville Cardinals (10-2) #3 Florida Gators (11-1)	Big East SEC (At-large)	Louisville 33 Florida 23
Jan. 3	Tostitos Fiesta Bowl	University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ 8:30 pm		#5 Kansas State Wildcats (11-1) #4 Oregon Ducks (11-1)	Big 12 Pac-12 (At-large)	Oregon 35 Kansas State 17
Jan. 7	Discover BCS National Championship	Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, FL 8:30 pm		#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12–0) #2 Alabama Crimson Tide (12–1)	Independent SEC	Notre Dame 14 Alabama 42

Bowl Challenge Cup standings

Conference	Total Games	Wins	Losses	Pct.
WAC	2	2	0	1.000
C-USA	5	4	1	.800
ACC	6	4	2	.667
SEC	9	6	3	.667
Big East	5	3	2	.600
Pac-12	8	4	4	.500
Sun Belt	4	2	2	.500
Big 12	9	4	5	.444
Independents	3	1	2	.333
Big Ten	7	2	5	.286
MAC	7	2	5	.286
MWC	5	1	4	.200

Awards and honors

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player.

Player	School	Position	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
Johnny Manziel	Texas A&M	QB	474	252	103	2029
Manti Te'o	Notre Dame	LB	321	309	125	1706
Collin Klein	Kansas State	QB	60	197	320	894
Marqise Lee	USC	WR	19	33	84	207
Braxton Miller	Ohio State	QB	3	29	77	144

Other overall

• Archie Griffin Award (MVP): Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
• AP Player of the Year: Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
• Chic Harley Award (Player of the Year): Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
• Maxwell Award (top player): Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
• SN Player of the Year: Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
• Walter Camp Award (top player): Manti Te'o, Notre Dame

Special overall

• Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began as walk-on): Matt McGloin, Penn State
• Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player): Tavon Austin, West Virginia
• Campbell Trophy ("academic Heisman"): Barrett Jones, Alabama
• Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete): Matt Barkley, USC

Offense

Quarterback

• Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback): Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
• Johnny Unitas Award (senior/4th year quarterback): Collin Klein, Kansas State
• Kellen Moore Award (quarterback): Collin Klein, Kansas State
• Manning Award (quarterback): Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
• Sammy Baugh Trophy (quarterback, specifically passer): Colby Cameron, Louisiana Tech

Running back

• Doak Walker Award (running back): Montee Ball, Wisconsin
• Jim Brown Trophy (running back): Montee Ball, Wisconsin

Wide receiver

• Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver): Marqise Lee, USC
• Paul Warfield Trophy (wide receiver): Marqise Lee, USC

Tight end

• John Mackey Award (tight end): Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame

Lineman

• Dave Rimington Trophy (center): Barrett Jones, Alabama^[18]
• Outland Trophy (interior lineman): Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M

Defense

• Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player): Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
• Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
• Lott Trophy (defensive impact): Manti Te'o, Notre Dame

Defensive line

• Bill Willis Award (defensive lineman): John Simon, Ohio State
• Dick Butkus Award (linebacker): Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
• Jack Lambert Trophy (linebacker): Jarvis Jones, Georgia
• Rotary Lombardi Award (defensive lineman): Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
• Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end): Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina

Defensive back

• Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back): Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State

Special teams

• Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Cairo Santos, Tulane
• Ray Guy Award (punter): Ryan Allen, Louisiana Tech

Coaches

• AP Coach of the Year: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
• Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award:
• Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award: Bill Snyder, Kansas State
• Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
• Maxwell Coach of the Year: Bill O'Brien, Penn State
• Paul "Bear" Bryant Award: Bill O'Brien, Penn State
• SN Coach of the Year: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
• The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
• Woody Hayes Trophy: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
• Walter Camp Coach of the Year: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame

Assistant

• AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year: Kirby Smart, Alabama
• Broyles Award: Bob Diaco, Notre Dame

All-Americans

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 FBS end-of-season coaching changes.

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement
Idaho	Robb Akey	October 21	Fired[19]	Jason Gesser (interim)
Tennessee	Derek Dooley	November 18	Fired[20]	Jim Chaney (interim)

End of season

School	Outgoing coach	Date announced	Reason	Replacement
Kentucky	Joker Phillips	November 4	Fired[21]	Mark Stoops[22]
Western Michigan	Bill Cubit	November 17	Fired[23]	P. J. Fleck[24]
UTEP	Mike Price	November 19	Retired[25]	Sean Kugler[26]
California	Jeff Tedford	November 20	Fired[27]	Sonny Dykes[28]
Arkansas	John L. Smith	November 24	Fired[29]	Bret Bielema[30]
Auburn	Gene Chizik	November 25	Fired[31]	Gus Malzahn[32]
Boston College	Frank Spaziani	November 25	Fired[33]	Steve Addazio[34]
Colorado	Jon Embree	November 25	Fired[35]	Mike MacIntyre[36]
NC State	Tom O'Brien	November 25	Fired[37]	Dave Doeren[38]
Purdue	Danny Hope	November 25	Fired[39]	Darrell Hazell[40]
Southern Miss	Ellis Johnson	November 27	Fired[41]	Todd Monken[42]
Northern Illinois	Dave Doeren	December 1	Hired by NC State[38]	Rod Carey[43]
South Florida	Skip Holtz	December 2	Fired[44]	Willie Taggart[45]
Idaho	Jason Gesser	December 3	Permanent replacement	Paul Petrino[46]
Wisconsin	Bret Bielema	December 4	Hired by Arkansas[30]	Barry Alvarez (interim)[47]
Arkansas State	Gus Malzahn	December 4	Hired by Auburn[32]	Bryan Harsin[48]
Temple	Steve Addazio	December 4	Hired by Boston College[34]	Matt Rhule[49]
Kent State	Darrell Hazell	December 4	Hired by Purdue[40]	Paul Haynes[50]
FIU	Mario Cristobal	December 5	Fired[51]	Ron Turner
Louisiana Tech	Sonny Dykes	December 5	Hired by California[28]	Skip Holtz[52]
Tennessee	Jim Chaney	December 7	Permanent replacement	Butch Jones[53]
Cincinnati	Butch Jones	December 7	Hired by Tennessee[53]	Tommy Tuberville[54]
Western Kentucky	Willie Taggart	December 7	Hired by South Florida[45]	Bobby Petrino[55]
Texas Tech	Tommy Tuberville	December 8	Hired by Cincinnati[54]	Kliff Kingsbury[56]
San Jose State	Mike MacIntyre	December 10	Hired by Colorado[36]	Ron Caragher[57]
Wisconsin	Barry Alvarez	December 19	Permanent replacement	Gary Andersen[58]
Utah State	Gary Andersen	December 19	Hired by Wisconsin[58]	Matt Wells[59]
Nevada	Chris Ault	December 28	Retired[60]	Brian Polian
Syracuse	Doug Marrone	January 6	Hired by Buffalo Bills[61]	Scott Shafer
Oregon	Chip Kelly	January 16	Hired by Philadelphia Eagles[62]	Mark Helfrich[63]
New Mexico State	DeWayne Walker	January 24	Hired by Jacksonville Jaguars (assistant)[64]	Doug Martin

See also

• 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

References

External links

• Media related to 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season at Wikimedia Commons