American college football season
The 2012 Illinois State Redbirds football team represented Illinois State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season . Led by fourth-year head coach Brock Spack , the Redbirds compiled an overall record of 9–4 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the MVFC. Illinois State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs. After a first-round bye, the Redbirds defeated Appalachian State in the second round before falling to Eastern Washington in the quarterfinals. The team played home games at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois .
Illinois State averaged 6,511 fans per home game in 2012 while the East Side of Hancock Stadium was being renovated. Two games were sold out, against Eastern Illinois and Southern Illinois .
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source September 1 12:00 pm Dayton * No. 19 W 56–144,840
September 8 1:00 pm at Eastern Michigan * No. 18 CSNC W 31–147,654
September 15 1:00 pm Eastern Illinois * No. 15 W 54–51 2OT 7,700
September 22 3:00 pm at Western Illinois No. 15 CSNC W 23–316,033
September 29 2:00 pm at South Dakota No. 13 W 34–317,863
October 6 1:00 pm Southern Illinois No. 9 Hancock Stadium Normal, IL CSNC L 0–178,000
October 13 1:00 pm No. 8 Youngstown State No. 14 Hancock Stadium Normal, IL CSNC W 35–285,557
October 20 1:00 pm Missouri State No. 11 Hancock Stadium Normal, IL L 17–246,180
October 27 4:00 pm at Northern Iowa No. 17 CSNC W 33–219,946
November 3 1:00 pm at No. 14 Indiana State No. 17 CSNC W 17–106,008
November 17 1:00 pm No. 1 North Dakota State No. 11 Hancock Stadium Normal, IL ESPN3 L 20–386,793 [ 1]
December 1 1:00 pm at No. 7 Appalachian State * No. 16 ESPN3 W 38–37 OT 16,719
December 8 5:00 pm at No. 4 Eastern Washington * No. 16 ESPN3 L 35–517,512
[ 2] [ 3]
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Final Sports Network 19 18 15 15 13 9 14 11 17 17 15 11 16 8 Coaches 20 19 17 15 12 11 16 13 17 15 15 11 15 9
Players drafted in the NFL [ edit ]
Draft year
Player
Position
Round
Overall
NFL team
2013
Nate Palmer
LB
6
193
Green Bay Packers
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons
Champion – North Dakota State