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WACO, TEX.– Valdosta State (Ga.) caused six turnovers, and dominated No. 2 Winston-Salem State (N.C.) in the national title game, 35-7, to capture its third NCAA Division II national title. The Blazers rose from No. 17 in the final regular season poll to finish at No. 1 in the final poll of 2012. Finishing ranked behind No. 2 Winston-Salem State is No. 3 Minnesota State-Mankato, who made a run to the semi-finals, ending their season at 13-1. West Texas A&M also made an appearance in the Division II semi-finals, causing the Buffs to jump 12 spots to No. 4. Rounding out the Top 5 is Missouri Western State, who finished the season at 12-2 after their loss to Minnesota State-Mankato in the quarterfinals.
Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) and West Alabama both made appearances in the second round of the playoffs, allowing both teams to move into the final poll at No. 20 and No. 21, respectively. All but three teams in the final Top 25 Poll were a part of the Division II playoffs. No. 22 Emporia State (Kan.) beat Texas A&M-Kingsville, 45-38, in the Lower Kanza Bowl, while No. 23 Tuskegee (Ala.) fell to Elizabeth City State (N.C.), 28-13, in the Pioneer Bowl. No. 24 Missouri S&T did not make the playoffs, but finished with a 10-1 record. Sioux Falls (S.D.), Miles (Ala.) and Charleston (W.Va.) all fell out of the final poll.
| 2012 American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Post-season | Head Coach |
| 1. | Valdosta St. (Ga.) (30) | 12-2 | 750 | 17 | D. No. 2 Winston-Salem St. (N.C.), 35-7, in national championship | David Dean |
| 2. | Winston-Salem St. (N.C.) | 14-1 | 719 | 2 | Lost to No. 17 Valdosta St. (Ga.), 35-7, in national championship | Connell Maynor |
| 3. | Minnesota St.-Mankato | 13-1 | 674 | 5 | Lost to No. 17 Valdosta St. (Ga.), 35-19, in semi-finals | Aaron Keen |
| 4. | West Texas A&M | 12-3 | 596 | 16 | Lost to No. 2 Winston-Salem St. (N.C.), 41-18, in semi-finals | Don Carthel |
| 5. | Missouri Western St. | 12-2 | 578 | 9 | Lost to No. 5 Minnesota St.-Mankato, 17-10, in quarterfinals | Jerry Partridge |
| 6. | Colorado St.-Pueblo | 12-1 | 575 | 1 | Lost to No. 16 West Texas A&M, 34-13, in quarterfinals | John Wristen |
| 7. | Indiana (Pa.) | 12-2 | 545 | 11 | Lost to No. 2 Winston-Salem St. (N.C.), 21-17, in quarterfinals | Curt Cignetti |
| 8. | New Haven (Conn.) | 10-1 | 496 | 3 | Lost to No. 11 Indiana (Pa.), 17-14, in second round | Peter Rossomando |
| 9. | Ashland (Ohio) | 11-1 | 480 | 4 | Lost to No. 16 West Texas A&M, 33-28, in second round | Lee Owens |
| 10. | Northwest Missouri St. | 10-3 | 446 | 13 | Lost to No. 5 Minnesota St.-Mankato, 38-35 2OT, in second round | Adam Dorrel |
| 11. | Henderson St. (Ark.) | 10-1 | 408 | 6 | Lost to No. 9 Missouri Western St., 45-21, in second round | Scott Maxfield |
| 12. | Minnesota-Duluth | 10-2 | 407 | 7 | Lost to No. 9 Missouri Western St., 57-55 3OT, in first round | Bob Nielson |
| 13. | Carson-Newman (Tenn.) | 9-3 | 406 | 22 | Lost to No. 17 Valdosta St. (Ga.), 48-26, in quarterfinals | Ken Sparks |
| 14. | Shippensburg (Pa.) | 11-2 | 349 | 15 | Lost to No. 2 Winston-Salem St. (N.C.), 37-14, in second round | Mark Maciejewski |
| 15. | Indianapolis (Ind.) | 10-3 | 288 | 18 | Lost to No. 1 Colorado St.-Pueblo, 28-7, in second round | Bob Bartolomeo |
| 16. | Midwestern St. (Texas) | 9-2 | 284 | 8 | Lost to No. 18 Indianapolis (Ind.), 31-14, in first round | Bill Maskill |
| 17. | Bloomsburg (Pa.) | 10-2 | 263 | 10 | Lost to No. 15 Shippensburg (Pa.), 58-20, in first round | Danny Hale |
| 18. | Chadron St. (Neb.) | 9-3 | 231 | 20 | Lost to No. 16 West Texas A&M, 38-30, in first round | Jay Long |
| 19. | Harding (Ark.) | 9-2 | 219 | 12 | Lost to No. 13 Northwest Missouri St., 35-0, in first round | Ronnie Huckeba |
| 20. | Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) | 9-3 | 195 | NR | Lost to No. 22 Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 38-35, in second round | Mike Houston |
| 21. | West Alabama | 9-4 | 189 | NR | Lost to No. 17 Valdosta St. (Ga.), 49-21, in second round | Will Hall |
| 22. | Emporia St. (Kan.) | 10-2 | 110 | 24 | D. Texas A&M-Kingsville, 45-38, in Lower Kanza Bowl | Garin Higgins |
| 23. | Tuskegee (Ala.) | 10-2 | 97 | 14 | Lost to Elizabeth City St. (N.C.), 28-13, in Pioneer Bowl | Willie Slater |
| 24. | Missouri S&T | 10-1 | 95 | 19 | DNQ Playoffs | David Brown |
| 25. | Shepherd (W.Va.) | 8-3 | 84 | 25t | Lost to No. 11 Indiana (Pa.), 27-17, in first round | Monte Cater |
Dropped Out: Sioux Falls (S.D.) (21), Miles (Ala.) (23), Charleston (W.Va.) (25t)
