2012 FedEx 400, Report, Background
Before the race, Greg Biffle led the Drivers' Championship with 453 points, and Matt Kenseth stood in second with 443. Denny Hamlin was third in the Drivers' Championship with 437, two points ahead of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and twenty-two ahead of Jimmie Johnson in fourth and fifth. Martin Truex, Jr. with 404 was six points ahead of Kevin Harvick, as Kyle Busch with 391 points, was three ahead of Tony Stewart and nineteen in front of Carl Edwards. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 81 points, eleven points ahead of Toyota. Ford, with 61 points, was nine points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third. Kenseth was the race's defending champion.


2012 FedEx 400, Report, Practice and qualifying
Two practice sessions were held before the race on June 1, 2012. The first session was 85 minutes long, while the second lasted 90 minutes. Mark Martin was quickest with a time of 22.613 seconds in the first session, 0.039 faster than Hamlin. Truex, Jr. was third quickest, followed by Biffle, Kyle Busch, and Biffle. Ryan Newman was seventh, still within two-tenths of a second of Martin's time. In the second and final practice, Aric Almirola was quickest with a time of 22.900 seconds.


2012 FedEx 400, Report, Practice and qualifying
Jeff Gordon followed in second, ahead of Earnhardt, Jr. and Johnson.Scott Speed was fifth quickest, with a time of 23.260 seconds. Jamie McMurray, Michael McDowell, Kurt Busch, Joe Nemechek, and J. J. Yeley rounded out the first ten positions. Martin, who was quickest in the first session, could only manage 29th.


2012 FedEx 400, Report, Practice and qualifying
Forty-five cars were entered for qualifying on June 2, 2012, but only forty-three could qualify for the race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure. Martin of Michael Waltrip Racing clinched the 54th pole position of his Sprint Cup Series career, with a time of 22.742 seconds. He was joined on the front row of the grid by Johnson. Newman qualified third, Clint Bowyer took fourth, and Kenseth started fifth. Harvick, Kyle Busch, Biffle, Kurt Busch and Hamlin rounded out the top ten. The two drivers who failed to qualify for the race were Josh Wise and Cole Whitt.


2012 FedEx 400, Report, Practice and qualifying
Once the qualifying session was completed, Martin stated, "I'll never do that again. I anticipated the car being loose, but I didn't ask Rodney if he tightened it up. I knew the conditions were looser than they were in our mock qualifying run, and I didn't want to ask him because I didn't want to be concerned. I knew that I only had to make it one mile without wrecking, and I was going to drive to the limit and slightly beyond, and I felt like I did that. I wouldn't want to do that again. But I couldn't sit on these poles without the fastest race car, and MWR and Rodney Childers in particular and the guys on our team are doing that."


2012 FedEx 400, Report, Race
The race, the thirteenth in the season, began at 1:00 p.m. EDT and was televised live in the United States on Fox. The conditions on the grid were dry before the race, the air temperature at 76 °F (24 °C); mostly clear skies were expected. Dan Schafer, pastor of Calvary Assembly of God in Hightstown, New Jersey, began pre-race ceremonies, by giving the invocation. Next, Kris Allen performed the national anthem, and Delaware Governor Jack Markell gave the command for drivers to start their engines.


2012 FedEx 400, Report, Race
Martin retained his pole position lead into the first corner, followed by Johnson, who started second. However, by the end of the first lap, Johnson had become the leader. On the following lap, Bowyer fell to fifth, as Kenseth passed him. On the seventh lap, Martin reclaimed the lead from Johnson. Two laps later, the race was slowed by a caution flag after a large accident involving thirteen drivers occurred on the backstretch, including Tony Stewart, Landon Cassill, Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Speed, Joe Nemechek, and more. The race was red flagged shortly after the accident.


2012 FedEx 400, Report, Race
After twenty minutes under the red flag, the race resumed under caution. Most of the front running drivers didn't make a pit stop during the caution, while others who were behind seventeenth pitted. On the lap 13 restart, Martin was the leader ahead of Johnson, as Kenseth passed Newman for the third position. By the eighteenth lap, Martin had expanded his lead to half a second over Johnson. However, Johnson began to catch Martin, and passed him for the first position on lap 30.


2012 FedEx 400, Report, Race
On lap 35, Johnson continued to lead over Martin and Kenseth, while Bowyer was placed in fourth. Johnson continued to expand his lead over Martin to over a second by the 43rd lap in the race. Less than ten laps later, Johnson passed Kurt Busch, who started ninth, to place him a lap behind the leaders. On the 56th lap, Gordon overtook Kyle Busch for the fifth position, as Newman fell to tenth after Hamlin and Edwards passed him.


2012 FedEx 400, Report, Race
Thirteen laps later, David Stremme retired from the race as green flag pit stops began after McMurray, Biffle, Hamlin and Harvick came to pit road. Kenseth and ten other drivers pitted on the following lap, as Martin, Johnson, Bowyer, Earnhardt, Jr., and Gordon pitted on the 71st lap. Two laps later, Stewart, who was involved in the accident during the ninth lap, returned to the race after repairs to the car. At lap 75, Kurt Busch was given a drive-through penalty after entering pit road too fast, as Martin reclaimed the lead.


2012 FedEx 400, Report, Race
Nine laps later, Johnson moved past Martin to take the first position. By the 91st lap, Johnson expanded his lead to one second over Martin. Six laps later, Kenseth moved to the third position while Gordon moved to fourth. On lap 98, Regan Smith returned to the race after repairs to the damage sustained on the ninth lap to his car.


2012 FedEx 400, Report, Race
Less than five laps later, Stephen Leicht and Reed Sorenson also returned to the race to gain positions and points (Sorenson's team trying to gain breathing room inside the Top 35, while Leicht was trying to get closer), while Johnson maintained a two-second lead over Martin. On the 109th lap, Juan Pablo Montoya returned to the race after sustaining damage to his car after the accident on lap nine. Three laps later, the second caution was given after David Reutimann's engine failed. On the lap 117 restart, Johnson led ahead of Martin, Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Gordon. On the following lap, Kyle Busch passed Martin for the second position, as Johnson expanded his lead. By lap 132, Harvick had moved into the third position while Martin fell to the fifth position.


2012 FedEx 400, Report, Race
On lap 133, Leicht returned to the garage after being over 100 laps off the pace, and Gordon passed Harvick for the third position. Eight laps later, Gordon overtook Kyle Busch to claim the second position behind Johnson. On the 160th lap, Harvick reclaimed the third position from Kyle Busch.


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs
The 2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, the series of four golf tournaments that determined the season champion on the U.S.-based PGA Tour, began on August 23 and ended on September 23. It included the following four events:


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs
Brandt Snedeker won the FedEx Cup by winning the Tour Championship.


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs
These were the sixth FedEx Cup playoffs since their inception in 2007.


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, The Barclays
The Barclays was played August 23–26. Of the 125 players eligible to play in the event, two did not enter: Jason Dufner (ranked 2) and Spencer Levin (45). Of the 123 entrants, 75 made the second-round cut at 143 (+1).


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, The Barclays
Nick Watney won by three strokes over Brandt Snedeker and moved to first place in the standings. The top 100 players in the points standings advanced to the Deutsche Bank Championship. This included six players who were outside the top 100 prior to The Barclays: Graham DeLaet (ranked 106th to 44th), Bob Estes (103 to 62), David Hearn (108 to 67), Jason Day (113 to 88), Tommy Gainey (102 to 91), and Jonas Blixt (101 to 97).


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, The Barclays
Six players started the tournament within the top 100 but ended the tournament outside the top 100, ending their playoff chances: John Mallinger (ranked 88th to 101st), Will Claxton (89 to 102), Chad Campbell (91 to 104), Andrés Romero (93 to 106), Freddie Jacobson (95 to 105), and Chris Stroud (99 to 110).


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, Deutsche Bank Championship
The Deutsche Bank Championship was played August 31 – September 3. Of the 100 players eligible to play in the event, two did not enter: Sergio García (ranked 10) and David Toms (89). Of the 98 entrants, 78 made the second-round cut at one-over-par, 145.


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, Deutsche Bank Championship
Rory McIlroy won by one stroke over Louis Oosthuizen and moved into first place in the standings. The top 70 players in the points standings advanced to the BMW Championship. This included nine players who were outside the top 70 prior to the Deutsche Bank Championship: Jeff Overton (83 to 40), Bryce Molder (93 to 45), D. A. Points (72 to 54), Troy Matteson (78 to 59), Matt Every (75 to 63), Chris Kirk (81 to 66), Charl Schwartzel (71 to 68), Charley Hoffman (86 to 69) and Dicky Pride (96 to 70).


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, Deutsche Bank Championship
Nine players started the tournament within the top 70 but ended the tournament outside the top 70, ending their playoff chances: Josh Teater (64 to 73), John Rollins (58 to 74), Scott Stallings (61 to 75), Ken Duke (60 to 76), Harris English (63 to 79), Jonathan Byrd (69 to 82), Spencer Levin (66 to 83), Charles Howell III (68 to 84) and Brian Davis (70 to 85).


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, BMW Championship
The BMW Championship was played September 6–9. All 70 players eligible to play in the event did so. There was no cut.


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, BMW Championship
Rory McIlroy won his second straight playoff event. He won by two strokes over Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood. Two players played their way into the Tour Championship: Robert Garrigus (ranked 31 to ranked 20) by finishing tied for 4th, and Ryan Moore (35 to 28) by finishing T-10. Two players played their way out of the Tour Championship: Kyle Stanley (30 to 31) by finishing T-34, and Bill Haas (28 to 32) by finishing T-45. Haas was the defending FedEx Cup champion and this was the sixth straight year that the defending champion failed to make the Tour Championship. Three players, Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, and Steve Stricker, have made the Tour Championship in each year of the playoffs.


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, BMW Championship
The top 30 players in FedEx Cup points after this event advanced to the Tour Championship and also earned spots in the 2013 Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, and (British) Open Championship.


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, BMW Championship
With the FedEx Cup points reset after the BMW Championship, all 30 remaining players have at least a mathematical chance to secure the season crown, and any of the top five players can claim the FedEx Cup with a win in the Tour Championship.


2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, Tour Championship
The Tour Championship was played September 20–23, after a one-week break. All 30 golfers who qualified for the tournament played, and there was no cut. Brandt Snedeker won the tournament by three shots from Justin Rose, and the FedEx Cup.


2012 Federal District of Mexico head of government election
The 2012 election for 7th  Head of Government of the Federal District in Mexico was held on Sunday, July 1, 2012. Outgoing Head of Government Marcelo Ebrard, who has held the office since 2006, of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) is term-limited and may not seek re-election.


2012 Federal District of Mexico head of government election
The Federal District head of government election coincides with the 2012 Mexican presidential and general elections.


2012 Federated Auto Parts 400
The 2012 Federated Auto Parts 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on September 8, 2012 at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Contested over 400 laps, it was the twenty-sixth and final race leading into the Chase for the Sprint Cup in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season.


2012 Federated Auto Parts 400
Clint Bowyer of Michael Waltrip Racing won the race, his second of the season. Jeff Gordon finished second to clinch the second wild card spot in the Chase, and Mark Martin finished third.


2012 Federated Auto Parts 400, Report, Background
Richmond International Raceway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Bristol Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway. The NASCAR race makes use of the track's standard configuration, a four-turn short track oval that is 0.75 miles (1.21 km) long. The track's turns are banked at fourteen degrees. The front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at eight degrees while the back stretch has two degrees of banking. The racetrack has seats for 94,063 spectators.


2012 Federated Auto Parts 400, Report, Race, Start
The race was set to start at 7:43 p.m. EDT but the start was delayed 90 minutes, and the cars were running under caution speed, Jeff Gordon was leading when the race restarted on lap 8, The second caution came out on lap 48, this was a planned competition caution, The race restarted on lap 52, and the third caution then came out on lap 53 for a one-car spin in the back straightaway (David Ragan), the race restarted on lap 57, and a couple of laps later, the fourth caution came out for rain on lap 139, by lap 153, the cars were brought down pit road the race was red flagged as rain returned again. After a delay of fifty-one minutes and 45 seconds, the cars started rolling again, and the race restarted on lap 156.


2012 Federated Auto Parts 400, Report, Race, Start
The fifth caution came out on lap 235 when Clint Bowyer spun out in the back straightaway, the race restarted on lap 239, The race was under longer green flag runs until the end, Clint Bowyer stretched his fuel mileage and despite a late charge from Jeff Gordon, the lead was too big to overcome for Gordon, and Bowyer would score his second win in Richmond, as well as the second win in the season. Gordon rallied back from going one lap down to finish 2nd, and knocked Kyle Busch out of the Chase by 3 points (Kyle finished 16th). Mark Martin clinched third.


2012 Fergana Challenger
The 2012 Fergana Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the 13th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Fergana, Uzbekistan between 14 and 20 May 2012.


2012 Fergana Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 Fergana Challenger – Doubles
John Paul Fruttero and Raven Klaasen are the defending champions, but they did not partner up together. Fruttero partnered up with Uladzimir Ignatik but lost in the semifinals to Klaasen who played alongside Izak van der Merwe and successfully defended his title, defeating Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana in the final 6–3, 6–4.


2012 Fergana Challenger – Singles
Dudi Sela was the defending champion but decided not to participate. Yuki Bhambri won the title defeating Amir Weintraub in the final 6–3, 6–3.


2012 Fiesta Bowl
The 2012 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Oklahoma State Cowboys, champions of the Big 12 Conference, played the Stanford Cardinal, an at-large selection from the Pac-12 Conference. Oklahoma State won the game, 41–38, in overtime.


2012 Fiesta Bowl
Originally this game was scheduled for January 5 pending resolution of the 2011 NFL lockout and a possible Monday Night Football game on January 2. However, with the resolution of the lockout, the game was moved to the spot following the 2012 Rose Bowl. The game aired on ESPN.


2012 Fiesta Bowl, Teams
This game was the first meeting between the two teams.


2012 Fiesta Bowl, Teams, Oklahoma State
Big 12 champion Oklahoma State made their first ever trip to a BCS bowl game. Oklahoma State ranked second in passing offense (386.25 yards per game), scoring offense (49.33 points), turnover margin (1.67) during the season, and turnovers (42). The Cowboy offense featured the combination of quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon, both of whom were taken in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Weeden in 12 games, completed 379 of 522 passes for 4,328 yards while Blackmon caught 113 passes for 1,336 yards. Oklahoma State was not selected for the National Championship game, after being upset by Iowa State just a few weeks earlier.


2012 Fiesta Bowl, Teams, Stanford
Stanford has a 5–7 record against the Big 12 Conference teams (1–0 Kansas; 1–0 Missouri; 1–4 Oklahoma; 2–2 Texas; 0–1 Texas A&M). Stanford played in the 2009 Sun Bowl and lost to Oklahoma 31–27. Prior to its loss to Oregon on November 12, the Cardinal were winners of its first nine games of the season and 17 in a row. The team ranked second in the conference and 22nd nationally in rushing offense (207.92 yards per game), led by All-American Quarterback Andrew Luck, who was the first player selected in the 2012 NFL Draft.


2012 Fife Council election
Elections to Fife Council were held on 3 May 2012, the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. The election used the 23 wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with each ward electing three or four Councillors using the single transferable vote system form of proportional representation, with 78 Councillors elected.


2012 Fife Council election
The biggest benefactors were the Labour party who regained the 11 seats they had lost in the 2007 Local Elections thus increase its share to remain the largest party. Scottish Liberal Democrats lost over half their seats, with labour picking up most of the seats, while the Scottish National Party increased their representation by 3 seats and remained in second place on the authority. Most of their gains were in the wards of the Fife North East constituency where they had previously only had a single seat. The Independents lost a seat while the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party lost 2 seats. The UK Independence Party lost its only Scottish Councillor who had defected from the Conservatives in 2008.


2012 Fife Council election
Following the election the Labour Party formed a minority administration with the support of the Independents and the Conservative Party. This replaced the previous SNP - Lib Dem coalition administration.


2012 Fife Council election, Election results
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2007. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.


2012 Fife Council election, Ward results
Obelisks (†) indicate changes since the election, and link to further details.


2012 Fife Council election, Changes since the election, By-elections
The detailed results of the 12 by-elections are as follows:


2012 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships
The 2012 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 17th edition for men and the 15th edition for women, of the tournament and was part of the 2012 ITF Women's Circuit and the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Lexington, Kentucky, United States between 23 and 29 July 2012.


2012 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships, ATP single main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships, ATP single main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry as a special exempt into the singles main draw:


2012 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships, WTA singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships – Men's Doubles
Jordan Kerr and David Martin were the defending champions but decided not to participate. Austin Krajicek and John Peers won the title, defeating Tennys Sandgren and Rhyne Williams 6–1, 7–6(7–4) in the final.


2012 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships – Men's Singles
Wayne Odesnik was the defending champion but decided not to participate. Denis Kudla won the title, defeating Érik Chvojka 5–7, 7–5, 6–1 in the final.


2012 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships – Women's Doubles
Tamaryn Hendler and Chichi Scholl were the defending champions, but they did not partner up together. Hendler partnered with Alexandra Mueller while Scholl partnered up with Scholl. Hendler and Mueller lost in the first round, while Scholls lost in the quarterfinals.


2012 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships – Women's Doubles
Shuko Aoyama and Xu Yifan won the title, defeating Julia Glushko and Olivia Rogowska in the final, 7–5, 6–7(4–7), [10–4].


2012 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships – Women's Singles
Chichi Scholl was the defending champion, but lost in the first round to Bethanie Mattek-Sands.


2012 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships – Women's Singles
Julia Glushko won the title, defeating Johanna Konta in the final, 6–3, 6–0.


2012 Filoil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup
The 2012 Filoil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup is the seventh preseason high school and collegiate basketball tournament organized by Filoil Flying V Sports. The opening ceremonies was held on April 14, 2012 with the first tripleheader of basketball games at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. All eight teams from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and ten from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines) (NCAA) participate in the tournament. Their junior counterparts also join the tournament, except for UE Junior Warriors.


2012 Filoil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup, Participants
The tournament is composed of 18 teams, eight are from the UAAP and the remaining ten are from the NCAA. These squads are grouped into two, each consisting of nine teams. Meanwhile, their junior counterparts will also join the tournament, except for UE Junior Warriors, with Xavier School as the lone guest team for this division. The juniors' teams are grouped into three, each consisting of six teams.


2012 Filoil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup, Tournament format
Due to different number of groups in men's and juniors' division, each has its own competition format.


2012 Filoil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup, Juniors' division, Elimination round, Group B
* Number of asterisks (*) denotes the number of overtime periods.


2012 Final Four (baseball)
The 2012 European Champion Cup Final Four was an international baseball competition being held in Nettuno, Italy on August 29–30, 2012. It featured the 4 best teams of the 2012 European Cup.


2012 Final Four (baseball), Teams
The following four teams qualified for the 2012 Final Four.


2012 Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen
The 2012 Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on August 12, 2012 at the Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. Contested over 90 laps, it was the twenty-second race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and the second of two road course competitions on the schedule. After the tragedy at the previous race, the track prepared in the event that thunderstorms pass through the track.


2012 Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen
The track had set up more than 30 police cars with loudspeakers, nine television screens, and the staff has text message availabilities, all intended on warning fans of any thunderstorms approaching. Marcos Ambrose, from the Richard Petty Motorsports racing team, won the race ahead of Brad Keselowski. Jimmie Johnson finished in the third position.


2012 Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen, Report, Background
Watkins Glen International is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Sonoma Raceway. The standard short road course at Watkins Glen International is a 7-turn course that is 2.45 miles (3.94 km) long; the track was modified in 1992, adding the Inner Loop, which lengthened the long course to 3.4 miles (5.5 km) and the short course to the current length of 2.45 miles (3.94 km). Marcos Ambrose was the defending race winner after winning the race in 2011.


2012 Finlandia Trophy
The 2012 Finlandia Trophy was an international figure skating competition in the 2012–13 season. The 17th edition of the annual event was held on October 5–7, 2012 at the Barona Arena in Espoo. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, ice dancing, and synchronized skating on the senior level.


2012 Finlandia Trophy, Overview
Spain's Javier Fernández won the men's short program ahead of Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu and the United States' Richard Dornbush. Hanyu placed first in the free program and won the title while Dornbush moved up to take the silver and Fernandez slipped to third. Johnny Weir made his return to competition at Finlandia Trophy after a two-season absence.


2012 Finlandia Trophy, Overview
In the ladies' event, Finland's Kiira Korpi was first in the short program, followed by Russia's Yulia Lipnitskaya and the United States' Mirai Nagasu. Yulia Lipnitskaya won the free program and the overall ladies' event.


2012 Finlandia Trophy, Overview
Canada's Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir withdrew before the event due to a slight muscle strain in Moir's neck. Russia's Ekaterina Bobrova / Dmitri Soloviev won the short dance ahead of Italy's Anna Cappellini / Luca Lanotte and the United States' Madison Hubbell / Zachary Donohue. Cappellini and Lanotte were first in the free dance by a small margin but it was not enough to overtake Bobrova and Soloviev for the gold.


2012 Finlandia Trophy, Overview
In the synchronized skating competition, included in Finlandia Trophy for the first time, the Finnish Team Unique took gold by a margin of 2.48 points to the fellow Finnish Rockettes, who in turn were closely followed by the Russian Paradise by a margin of only 0.61 points.


2012 Finn Gold Cup
The 2012 Finn Gold Cup, and the official Finn World Championships, were held in Falmouth, United Kingdom, between 13 and 18 May 2012. The hosting yacht club was Royal Cornwall Yacht Club.


2012 Finn Gold Cup, Results
Legend: BFD – Black flag disqualification; DNC – Did not come to the starting area; DNF – Did not finish; DSQ – Disqualified; OCS – On the course side of the starting line; RDG – Redress given; RDGa – Redress given with average points; † – Discarded race not counted in the overall result;


2012 Finnish Athletics Championships
The 2012 Finnish Athletics Championships (Finnish: Kalevan Kisat 2012) was the 105th edition of the national outdoor track and field championships for Finland. It took place from 23 to 26 August 2012 at Lahti Stadium in Lahti.


2012 Finnish Cup
The 2012 Finnish Cup (Finnish: Suomen Cup) is the 58th season of the main annual association football cup competition in Finland. It is organised as a single-elimination knock–out tournament. Participation in the competition is voluntary. A total of 198 teams registered for the competition, with 12 teams from the Veikkausliiga, 10 from the Ykkönen, 28 from the Kakkonen, 54 from the Kolmonen and 94 teams from other divisions.


2012 Finnish Cup
The tournament started on 6 January 2012 with the first match of Round 1. Many matches in the early rounds are played on artificial pitches in indoor halls.


2012 Finnish Cup, Round 1
In this round 34 clubs entered from the Finnish fourth level and below, while the other 109 clubs from the lower divisions received byes to the next round. These matches took place between 6 and 21 January 2012.


2012 Finnish Cup, Round 2
In this round 126 clubs participated from the Finnish fourth level and below. These matches commenced on 14 January 2012.


2012 Finnish Cup, Round 3
In this round 68 clubs entered from the Finnish fourth level and below. These matches commenced on 5 February 2012.


2012 Finnish Cup, Round 4
In this round 72 clubs participated, including 10 teams from the Ykkönen and 28 teams from the Kakkonen . These matches commenced on 14 February 2012.


2012 Finnish Cup, Round 5
In this round 40 clubs will participate, including 4 teams from the Veikkausliiga (Teams which have been eliminated from the League Cup). These matches are due to commence on 15 March 2012.


2012 Finnish Cup, Round 6
In this round 24 clubs will participate, including 4 teams from the Veikkausliiga. These matches are due to commence on 29 March 2012.


2012 Finnish Cup, Round 7
In this round 16 clubs will participate, including 4 teams from the Veikkausliiga. These matches are due to commence on 24 April 2012.


2012 Finnish Cup, Quarter-finals
In this round 8 clubs will participate. These 4 matches are due to be played on 9 and 10 May 2012.


2012 Finnish Cup, Final
The Suomen Cup final is due to be played on 29 September 2012.


2012 Finnish Figure Skating Championships
The 2012 Finnish Figure Skating Championships (Finnish: SM2012, yksinluistelu ja jäätanssi) took place between December 16 and 18, 2011 at the Tampereen Jäähalli in Tampere. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, and ice dancing on the senior and junior levels. The results were one of the criteria used to choose the Finnish teams to the 2012 World Championships, 2012 European Championships, and 2012 World Junior Championships.


2012 Finnish League Cup
The 2012 Finnish League Cup is the 16th season of the Finnish League Cup, Finland's second-most prestigious cup football tournament. FC Honka are the defending champions, having won their second league cup last year.


2012 Finnish League Cup
The cup consists of two stages. First there will be a group stage that involves the 12 Veikkausliiga teams divided into three groups. The top two teams and two best 3rd placed teams from each group will enter the one-legged elimination rounds – quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final.


2012 Finnish League Cup, Group stage
Every team will play every other team of its group twice, both home and away. The group stage matches will be played from 13 January to 17 March 2012.


2012 Finnish League Cup, Third-placed qualifiers
At the end of the group stage, a comparison is made between the third placed teams. The two best third-placed teams will advance to the quarter-finals.


2012 Finnish municipal elections
Finnish municipal election, 2012 was held in Finland on 28 October with advance voting between 17 and 23 October 2012. 9,674 municipal council seats were open for election in 304 municipalities. The number of councillors decreased by over 700 compared to the previous election due to the merging of several municipalities. The term of the elected councillors will begin on 1 January 2013.


2012 Finnish municipal elections, Funds
In Finland, candidates have to declare their campaign funding. 15% of the declarations did not arrive in time.


2012 Finnish municipal elections, Electoral method
The D'Hondt method is used in the election. The size of the municipal council or city council depends on the population of the municipality:


2012 Finnish municipal elections, Electoral method
Helsinki is the only city in the last category and Espoo the only city in the second-to-last category.


2012 Finnish municipal elections, National results
Turnout was 58.3%, lower than in the previous municipal election.


2012 Finnish presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Finland in January and February 2012. The first round took place on 22 January 2012 with advance voting between 11 and 17 January. Since no candidate received a majority of the vote, a second round was held on 5 February, with advance voting between 25 and 31 January. Sauli Niinistö was elected the President of Finland for a term from 1 March 2012 until 2018.


2012 Finnish presidential election
All eight political parties represented in Parliament nominated a candidate during the latter half of 2011. Incumbent President Tarja Halonen was ineligible for re-election, having served the maximum two terms.


2012 Finnish presidential election
In the first round, no candidate received a majority of votes. Thus a runoff election was held between Sauli Niinistö of the National Coalition Party, with 37.0 percent of the first-round vote, and Pekka Haavisto of the Green League, who received 18.8% of the first-round vote. Niinistö led the polls prior to the elections, while Haavisto was neck-and-neck with Paavo Väyrynen of the Centre Party competing for second place, ultimately defeating Väyrynen by a margin of 1.3 percentage points (about 37,000 votes). Sauli Niinistö won the second round with 62.6% of the votes (1.8 million votes), while Pekka Haavisto received 37.4% of the votes (1.1 million votes).


2012 Finnish presidential election
The elections marked an end to an era of Social Democratic presidents. The Social Democrats had held the office for a continuous period of 30 years. It was also the first time that a Green League candidate was on the runoff ballot.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Power of the president
The President's powers were curtailed in the constitutional reform in 2000, and yet further in 2012. Currently the President leads the Finnish foreign policy together with the cabinet. EU affairs, however, fall to the Prime Minister's authority. The President has little domestic power. He or she can dissolve the parliament, but only at the Prime Minister's request. The President can choose not to ratify a bill, but this only returns it to parliament, which must then approve the bill again in order for it to become a law without the President's signature. The President's power to appoint officials has been reduced, but he or she still appoints all military officers as well as judges. The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces. The President also has the power to pardon anyone convicted of a crime.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Power of the president
With the curtailment of the President's formal powers, many analysts have emphasized the President's position as a leader of values.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Candidates
All eight parties represented in the Parliament nominated a candidate. The nomination was unanimous in seven parties, while the Social Democratic Party's candidate was decided in a primary, which was won by Paavo Lipponen with 67% of the votes defeating Tuula Haatainen, who got 22% of the votes, and Ilkka Kantola who received 11% of the votes. Each candidate was given a number from 2 to 9 – voting took place by writing the candidate's number on the ballot paper.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Candidates
Constituency associations for independents or parties not represented in the Parliament must gather 20,000 signatures from eligible voters in order to participate in the election. In 2012, no such associations participated. Pekka Hallberg, the President of the Supreme Administrative Court, considered running as a non-partisan candidate, but eventually withdrew.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Candidates, Previously plausible candidates
Declined to run:The following persons initially expressed interest toward running or were mentioned in speculation, but did not sign up for the party's primary, which started on 22 August.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Candidates, Previously plausible candidates
Declined to run:The following persons were mentioned in speculation, but none of them signed up for the party's primary by the deadline 9 September. Paavo Väyrynen was the only announced candidate and thus a primary was not needed.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Campaign
According to political analysts Salla Laaksonen and Kimmo Elo, the main dividing line between the presidential candidates in this election is not the traditional division over ideology, but instead voters are placing more stress on a candidate's views on the EU and social issues.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Campaign
Professor Leif Åberg has described the campaign as "relatively civil," but there have been a few accusations of negative campaigning. Some of Pekka Haavisto's supporters felt offended over a television advert by the Paavo Väyrynen campaign which says that "a house needs a master and a mistress." Haavisto's supporters interpreted this as a taunt on Haavisto's relationship status (Haavisto lives in a registered partnership with another man). Väyrynen responded by rejecting this interpretation and in turn accused Haavisto's supporters of deliberately twisting his words. The satirical television programme YleLeaks mocked the election in mid-December 2011.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Campaign
Niinistö's wife, Jenni Haukio, complained with a letter to YLE's A Studio saying that she was a private person. An A-Studio political reporter also criticised Iltalehti of news in favour of Sauli Niinistö. Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja accused editor A.-P. Pietilä of undervaluing Haavisto's abilities in foreign policy based on his companion; Pietilä wrote, citing an unnamed civil servant, that Haavisto's election as president might complicate Finland's bid for being elected as a non-permanent member in the UN Security Council as several countries where homosexuality is outlawed might oppose the bid in this scenario. (Pietilä works for Suomen Lehtiyhtymä, which is owned by the NCP MP Eero Lehti).


2012 Finnish presidential election, Campaign, Funding
The parties have budgeted less money for their campaigns than during the last presidential election in 2006. This is in part due to the economic crisis and in part due to scandals involving campaign funding over the last few years. According to initial estimates the four largest parties planned to spend less than 3 million euros combined.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Campaign, Funding
Of the second round candidates, Niinistö's budget was 1.2 million euros and Haavisto's budget was 725,000 euros.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Campaign, Debates
MTV3 organised a debate with all eight candidates on 14 December. When discussing the European sovereign debt crisis six of the candidates believed in the survival of the euro, while Soini and Väyrynen believed that the eurozone would dissolve in one way or another. Väyrynen accused Lipponen and Niinistö of misleading the parliament, when Finland joined the common currency in the early years of the 2000s (when Lipponen and Niinistö were the leading figures of the government).


2012 Finnish presidential election, Campaign, Debates
Soini was the only candidate to answer that as president he would address the issue of returning Finnish Karelia to Finland in discussions with the Russian government. All candidates were opposed to Finland joining NATO, although for slightly differing reasons. Soini and Essayah underlined the importance of credible national defence, expressing concerns about defence cuts. Lipponen too was concerned about NATO membership's effects on the Defence Forces. Niinistö said that increasing security cooperation within the EU might make joining the NATO unnecessary in the long run. Biaudet stressed European defence as well, while Arhinmäki wanted to strengthen the role of the UN. EU issues were topmost in the YLE debate on 15 December as well.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Campaign, Debates
In a debate organised by Helsingin Sanomat and Nelonen on 17 January, the last day of advance voting, all candidates expressed concerns regarding the social marginalisation of the youth. All eight were also critical toward possible increases of Finland's guarantees in the European Financial Stability Facility, although Lipponen stressed the importance of European cooperation and Biaudet said that Finland should actively participate in the solving of the EU's debt problems. While seven candidates thought that the president's role in EU affairs is primarily supporting the cabinet led by the prime minister, Soini wanted to pursue more independent policies if elected. Niinistö, Haavisto, Arhinmäki and Biaudet were worried about the opinion polls' effect on tactical voting and were willing to ban the publishment of opinion polls two weeks prior to an election.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Campaign, Debates
In a second MTV3 debate on 18 January Lipponen accused Niinistö of hypocrisy, saying that although Niinistö has spoken against greediness he has also accepted funding from millionaires, who, according to Lipponen, have laid off thousands of workers. Arhinmäki attacked Niinistö over Niinistö's condemnation of illegal strikes, with Arhinmäki himself maintaining that there is no such a thing as an illegal strike. Niinistö defended himself against his critics, saying that everyone has to participate in common efforts to thwart the economic crisis and that labour disputes should be resolved within legal means. Soini confronted Haavisto, saying that Haavisto's party, the Green League, wants to make people pay more for energy. Haavisto responded by slightly distancing himself from his party, saying that the election is about individual candidates instead of parties.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Campaign, Debates
The final debate prior to the first round was held by YLE on 19 January. The candidates were asked to comment on former president Mauno Koivisto's statement, where Koivisto expressed concern over the continued curtailment of the president's formal power. Soini and Väyrynen shared Koivisto's concern and were willing to increase the president's powers, while the other six candidates were content with the current situation. When discussing NATO, Väyrynen and Arhinmäki accused Niinistö and Lipponen of being too favourable toward NATO membership. Niinistö and Lipponen denied these charges, with the latter dismissing them as "conspiracy theories".


2012 Finnish presidential election, Campaign, Debates
Helsingin Sanomat wrote that during a YLE debate on 30 January "practically the only question" to bring out differences between Niinistö and Haavisto was their stance on Finland's possible future membership of the UN Security Council. Niinistö said that, if a member, more active participation in peace keeping operations would be expected from Finland, while Haavisto emphasised civilian crisis management.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Campaign, Debates
In another YLE debate on 2 February, economic issues showed some distinctions between the two candidates with Niinistö underlining the importance of economic growth and restraining the growth of debt and Haavisto expressing concerns about the impacts of economic growth on the environment and inequality. Analysts Juhana Torkki and Pertti Timonen stated that both Niinistö an Haavisto tread carefully during campaigning prior to the runoff and that this campaign had less "drama" than that of the first round.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Opinion polling
Note: the Taloustutkimus polls in 2011 before November as well as the MC-Info polls and TNS Gallup poll on 17 January omitted those interviewees who could not choose a candidate.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Results
The first round of the election was held in on 22 January, although 32.7% of eligible voters had cast their vote during the advance voting period between 11 and 17 January. The overall voter turnout in the first round was 72.8%. In the second round, 36.6% of votes were cast during the advance voting period between 25 and 31 January. The overall turnout in the second round was 68.9%.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Results
Since no candidate received a majority of votes in the first round, a runoff election was held on 5 February between Sauli Niinistö (37.0% of first round votes) and Pekka Haavisto (18.8% of first round votes). Niinistö won the second round with 62.6% of the vote and was thus elected as president. The result of the second round was verified on 8 February.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Results, Reactions
Of the six candidates defeated on the first round, Väyrynen was the only one not to express his support for either of the second-round candidates. Soini and Essayah backed Niinistö, while Lipponen, Arhinmäki and Biaudet supported Haavisto.


2012 Finnish presidential election, Results, Reactions
Mikael Jungner, the party secretary of the Social Democratic Party, said that he would not continue in his role due to the poor showing of Lipponen.


2012 Firestone 550
The 2012 Firestone 550 was the twenty-second running of the Firestone 550 and the seventh round of the 2012 IndyCar Series season. It took place on Saturday, June 9, 2012. The race was contested over 228 laps at the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, and was telecasted by NBC Sports in the United States.


2012 Firestone 550
The reigning champion of the Firestone 550 was Ryan Briscoe, who won the 2010 race, as in 2011 the event contested over two races in one night, making it the Firestone Twin 275s. The race was won by Justin Wilson of Dale Coyne Racing.


2012 Firestone 550, Classification, Race results
Points include 1 point for pole position and 2 points for most laps led.


2012 First FIA GT1 Slovakia round
The 2012 First FIA GT1 Slovakia round was an auto racing event held at the Automotodróm Slovakia Ring in Orechová Potôň, Slovakia on 9–10 June 2012. It was the fourth round of the 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship season. It was the first time the GT1 category visited the Slovakia Ring circuit. Valmon Racing Team Russia did not take part in the event.


2012 First FIA GT1 Slovakia round
The circuit was modified following the 2011 FIA GT3 races, which saw several cars become airborne as they crossed over the crest between turns two and three. In response to this, event organisers added a temporary tyre chicane on the approach to the crest, and designated the section of circuit from the second turn to the tyre chicane as a permanent yellow-flag area, banning overtaking on the approach to the chicane.


2012 First FIA GT1 Slovakia round, Qualifying, Qualifying result
For qualifying, Driver 1 participates in the first and third sessions while Driver 2 participates in only the second session. The fastest lap for each session is indicated with bold.


2012 Flintshire County Council election
The 2012 Flintshire Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of Flintshire Council in Wales. This was on the same day as other 2012 United Kingdom local elections.


2012 Flintshire County Council election, Results
Nine seats (5 Lab, 2 Con, 1 Ind & 1 LD) out of seventy were elected unopposed.


2012 Florida A&M Rattlers football team
The 2012 Florida A&M Rattlers football team represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Rattlers were led by fifth year head coach Joe Taylor and played their home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium. They finished the season 4–7 overall and 4–4 in MEAC play to tie for sixth place.


2012 Florida Atlantic Owls football team
The 2012 Florida Atlantic Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Carl Pelini and played their home games at FAU Stadium. They were a member of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 3–9, 2–6 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for eighth place.


2012 Florida Gators baseball team
The 2012 Florida Gators baseball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of baseball during the 2012 college baseball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They played their home games at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium, on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The team was coached by Kevin O'Sullivan, who was in his fifth season at Florida. The Gators sought to build upon their appearance in the 2011 College World Series Finals, where they were eliminated by South Carolina in two games.


2012 Florida Gators baseball team
After being eliminated in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament, the Gators were selected as the No. 1 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. After winning the Gainesville Regional and Super Regional, they advanced to the College World Series for the third consecutive year. There they were eliminated after just two games, losing to South Carolina and Kent State.


2012 Florida Gators baseball team
The Gators had nine players selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft including junior catcher Mike Zunino, recipient of the 2012 Dick Howser Trophy.


2012 Florida Gators baseball team, Schedule
Rankings from USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches' baseball poll. All times Eastern. Parenthesis indicate tournament seedings. Retrieved from


2012 Florida Gators baseball team, Rankings
^ Collegiate Baseball ranks 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. † NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. * New poll was not released for this week so for comparison purposes the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.


2012 Florida Gators football team
The 2012 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2012 college football season. The Gators competed in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The 2012 season was the Gators' second under head coach Will Muschamp. They finished the season with 11–2 overall, 7–1 SEC. The team was invited to the 2013 Sugar Bowl, where they lost to the Louisville Cardinals, 33–23.


2012 Florida Gators football team, Previous season
The 2011 Florida Gators compiled a 7–6 overall win-loss record, and a 3–5 record in the Southeastern Conference. They concluded the 2011 season with a victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Gator Bowl.


2012 Florida Gators football team, Schedule
The 2012 Orange and Blue Debut game was played on April 7 at 1 p.m. and was televised on Sun Sports. Blue defeated Orange 21–20 in front of 38,100 fans.


2012 Florida Gators football team, Schedule
The October 20 game against South Carolina hosted ESPN's College Gameday. In addition, their road games against Texas A&M and Tennessee were also hosted by College GameDay.


2012 Florida Gators softball team
The 2012 Florida Gators softball team represented the University of Florida softball program for the 2012 NCAA softball season.


2012 Florida Gators softball team, Roster
The 2012 Florida Gators softball team has 1 senior, 4 juniors, 3 sophomores, and 8 freshmen.


2012 Florida House of Representatives election
The elections for the Florida House of Representatives was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect all the 120 seats in the Florida House of Representatives. The day also coincided with the 2012 United States presidential election, 2012 United States House of Representatives elections, and 2012 United States Senate election in Florida. The result was gain of 8 seats by the Democrats while Republicans maintained their control of the State House.


2012 Florida House of Representatives election
The resulting victors of the election took their seats for the 115th session which began in 2013.


2012 Florida House of Representatives election, Results
A Republican majority was secured, but was reduced from its prior supermajority by the electoral strengthening of the Democratic minority.


2012 Florida Republican presidential primary
The 2012 Florida Republican presidential primary was held on January 31, 2012. Fifty delegates were at stake, none of them RNC (or super) delegates; it is unclear whether these delegates will be allocated proportionally or winner-take-all. Originally awarded 99 delegates, the Republican National Committee removed half of Florida's delegates because the state committee moved its Republican primary before March 6; the Republican National Committee rules also set the delegate allocation to be proportional because the contest was held before April 1. It is a closed primary. There were 4,063,853 registered Republican voters as of January 3, 2012.


2012 Florida Republican presidential primary
Florida is spread over two time zones, so voting wasn't completed until 7 pm CST/8pm EST.


2012 Florida Republican presidential primary, Background
Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the first three contests in the primary election cycle to eventually determine a parties' nominee, are often the most politically significant states due to the bandwagon effect. The candidates themselves, their infrastructure and the national media are entrenched in these states and therefore these early states (particularly Iowa and New Hampshire) receive more media and political attention than any other state. Often the candidate with the most momentum from the first three states will become the party nominee. The 2008 GOP Presidential nominee John McCain won New Hampshire and South Carolina. In 2000, George W. Bush won Iowa and South Carolina, and became the party nominee.


2012 Florida Republican presidential primary, Background
In the 2012 primary race, a division formed in the Republican Party between the moderate frontrunner, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and conservatives who distrusted Romney's perceived liberal tendencies while governor of Massachusetts. Romney was criticised, among other things, for signing into law the Massachusetts health reform law, which resembled President Barack Obama's Affordable Health Care for America Act. Many in the conservative faction of the Republican Party searched for an alternative.


2012 Florida Republican presidential primary, Background
Iowa was won by former senator Rick Santorum after the votes were certified. New Hampshire was won by Mitt Romney. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich won South Carolina. This is the first time the first three states have been won by three different candidates.


2012 Florida Republican presidential primary, Significance
In an effort to increase the political importance of their state's primary and receive added media exposure often directed to the early contests, Florida decided to plan their primary ahead of the early contests, a move that violated Republican Party rules and forced early states to move up their contests. Florida announced that their primary would occur on January 31 instead of the expected March; Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina were expected to have their primaries in February but were forced to push their primaries into January, thereby shortening the overall amount of time that each person could campaign. Florida made this move in 2008.


2012 Florida Republican presidential primary, Significance
As a result of this calendar violation, Florida was stripped of half of its delegates, awarding only 50 delegates instead of the original 100 delegates.


2012 Florida Republican presidential primary, Significance
Dean Cannon, the Republican speaker of the Florida House of Representatives: "My goal all along is for Florida to preserve her place as the fifth spot on the nominating calendar and not to move ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire."


2012 Florida Republican presidential primary, Result
Turnout was 41.16% of the voting-eligible population (4,063,853 registered Florida Republicans).


2012 Florida Republican presidential primary, Result
Though Gingrich was leading in Florida shortly after his victory in South Carolina, some missteps within the 10-day buffer period between both primaries allowed Romney to eventually come out on top. Most notably, in a potential effort to appeal to voters on the Space Coast, Gingrich proposed a moon base as a possible project for his Presidency. This was met with derision from many people, including Mitt Romney, who mocked the idea at the CNN Debate. Early voting that took place before Gingrich's South Carolina win was also highly in Romney's favor.


2012 Florida Republican presidential primary, Result
On a regional basis, Gingrich won most of North Florida, while Romney won in the densely populated cities of Central and South Florida.


2012 Florida Republican presidential primary, Controversy
According to a Gingrich campaign memo, he will challenge the results based on an interpretation of the Republican National Committee's rules that state that no contest can be winner-take-all prior to April 1, 2012. Gingrich will request that delegates be divided proportionally, corresponding to the percentage of votes each candidate received. It is not known what result a successful challenge might have.


2012 Florida State Seminoles baseball team
The 2012 Florida State Seminoles baseball team represented Florida State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Seminoles played their home games at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium, named for 33rd year head coach Mike Martin.


2012 Florida State Seminoles baseball team
Florida State spent large parts of the season as the nation's top-ranked team, won their sixth consecutive Atlantic Division title and advanced to their fifth consecutive Super Regional. The Seminoles went on to appear in the College World Series for the fifteenth time, where they reached the semifinals.


2012 Florida State Seminoles baseball team, Rankings
^ Collegiate Baseball ranks 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. † NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. * New poll was not released for this week so for comparison purposes the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, variously Florida State or FSU, represented Florida State University in the sport of American football during the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Seminoles were led by third-year head coach Jimbo Fisher, and played their home games at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. They were members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, playing in the Atlantic Division. 2012 marked the Seminoles' 21st season as a member of the ACC and their eighth in the ACC's Atlantic Division.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team
During the 2012 season, Florida State won its first ACC title since 2005, advancing to their first BCS bowl since that season as well, and won ten regular season games for the first time since the 2003 season. The Seminoles also won their first BCS game since the 2000 Sugar Bowl. The team also tied the school record for most games won in a single season and finished in the top ten of both major polls for the first time since the 2000 season.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Previous season
Florida State ended the 2011 season with a 9–4 record (5–3 in ACC play). They were led by head coach Jimbo Fisher in his second year of head coaching. The Seminoles lost two starters on offense (Offensive Tackle Zebrie Sanders and WR Bert Reed), three on defense (Linebacker Nigel Bradham, Safety Terrance Parks, and Cornerback Mike Harris), and one special teams player (Punter Shawn Powell). All six of Florida State's departing players are currently on NFL rosters.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Forthcoming season
After the completion of the 2011 season, the Seminoles signed a highly rated recruiting class in February 2012 and completed spring practice the following April. With seventeen returning starters from the previous season, Florida State entered their 2012 campaign ranked as the number seven team in the nation and as a favorite to win the Atlantic Division and compete for the ACC championship and possibly a national title.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Forthcoming season, Preseason
Before the start of the season, the Seminoles were scheduled to play the West Virginia Mountaineers on September 8, but the game was canceled by the Mountaineers so they could make room for their nine-game Big 12 schedule. With the late cancellation, Florida State was forced to add another Football Championship Subdivision team to its schedule. Because of this, Florida State needed an additional win to be eligible for a bowl game.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Forthcoming season, Preseason
On August 1, 2012, Florida State kicked senior cornerback and punt return specialist Greg Reid off the team. Coach Fisher announced Reid's dismissal for what he described as a violation of team rules. The dismissal came three weeks after Reid was charged with marijuana possession after being stopped by a Georgia state trooper near his home in Valdosta, Georgia.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Forthcoming season, Preseason
Former Penn State tight end Kevin Haplea also transferred to Florida State in the wake of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Forthcoming season, Preseason
The annual 'Garnet and Gold Game' was held on April 14 at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium and the garnet team was victorious, winning by a score of 35–20. The game was televised on ESPNU with former FSU player Danny Kanell as commentator.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Forthcoming season, Postseason
Defensive coordinator Mark Stoops left his position at Florida State to take the job as head coach at Kentucky. D. J. Eliot left his position as defensive ends coach to assist Stoops at Kentucky as defensive coordinator. Eddie Gran, who served as runningback coach and special teams coordinator as well as associate head coach, also left the staff to serve as offensive coordinator at Cincinnati.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Personnel
Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher is in his third year as the Seminoles' head coach. During his previous two years with Florida State, he has led the Seminoles to an overall record of 19 wins and 8 losses (19–8). Mark Stoops and James Coley returned to their positions as coordinators.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Media
Florida State football is broadcast on the Florida State University Seminoles Radio Network and the games are called by Gene Deckerhoff.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Rankings
Entering the 2012 season, Florida State was ranked No. 7 in both the AP and Coaches' Preseason Polls. ESPN ranked the Seminoles number seven before the season. Florida State was ranked No. 9 in the first Harris Poll. In the initial BCS poll, Florida State was ranked No. 14. Florida State finished the season ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll and No. 8 in the Coaches' Poll.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Murray State
Pregame Line: Lines are not released when an FCS team plays an FBS team.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Murray State
To open the season, Florida State faced an FCS opponent, the Murray State Racers. This game was the first between the two teams. Coming into the game, Florida State held a 17–0 record against teams from the Football Championship Subdivision.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Murray State
Florida State dominated the Racers throughout the game, winning 69–3. Florida State opened the scoring and scored 14 points in the first quarter, with Rashad Greene returning a 47-yard punt return from kicker Dustin Hopkins and a 1-yard touchdown run from Lonnie Pryor. Florida State added another fourteen points in the second quarter as the result of an 18-yard touchdown run from Lonnie Pryor and a 6-yard touchdown pass from EJ Manuel to Kenny Shaw. Murray State scored its first and only points near the end of the first half on a 28-yard field goal.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Murray State
In the third quarter, Florida State scored 20 points. James Wilder Jr. had a 9-yard touchdown run, Dustin Hopkins kicked a 23-yard field goal, Lonnie Pryor had a 1-yard touchdown run, and Dustin Hopkins kicked another 30-yard field goal. Florida State scored another 21 points in the fourth quarter with a 7-yard touchdown run from James Wilder Jr. and two 1-yard touchdown runs from Debrale Smiley.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Murray State
EJ Manuel led the team in passing with 188 yards and one touchdown; James Wilder Jr. led the team in rushing with 12 carries for 106 yards and two touchdowns; Kenny Shaw led the team in receiving with 4 receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown. Xavier Rhodes recorded one interception and Karlos Williams returned a punt for a touchdown. Dustin Hopkins successfully attempted two field goals. The Seminoles totaled 606 yards of offense in the game, with 285 rushing yards and 321 passing yards while holding Murray State to 156 total yards of offense.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Savannah State
Pregame Line: Lines are not released when an FCS team plays an FBS team.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Savannah State
For their second game of the season, Florida State faced another FCS team, the Savannah State Tigers. This was also the first meeting between these teams. Prior to the game, the Seminoles were installed as 70 1/2 point favorites, reportedly making Savannah State the biggest underdogs in any college football game ever.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Savannah State
Florida State held the Tigers scoreless, winning 55–0. Florida State opened the scoring and scored 35 points in the first quarter, with a 61-yard touchdown pass from EJ Manuel to Rodney Smith, a 6-yard touchdown run from Chris Thompson, an 8-yard touchdown pass from E.J. Manuel to Greg Dent, a 9-yard touchdown pass from E.J. Manuel to Kelvin Benjamin, and a 5-yard touchdown run from Devonta Freeman.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Savannah State
Florida State added another thirteen points in the second quarter as the result of a 19-yard touchdown run from James Wilder, Jr. and another 1-yard touchdown run from James Wilder, Jr. with a subsequent failed point-after-attempt from kicker Dustin Hopkins, ending his streak of 145 consecutive extra point attempts. Florida State scored another seven points in the third quarter as the result of a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Coker to Kelvin Benjamin.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Savannah State
E.J. Manuel led the team in passing with 161 yards and three touchdowns; Devonta Freeman led the team in rushing with 7 carries for 69 yards and one touchdown; Rodney Smith led the team in receiving with 3 receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown. The Seminoles totaled 413 yards of offense in the game, with 167 rushing yards and 246 passing yards while holding Savannah State to just 28 total yards of offense.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Savannah State
The game was delayed in the second quarter, used a running clock after halftime and later called with 8:49 left in the third due to weather.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Wake Forest
Florida State opened ACC play against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The teams last met the previous season with Wake Forest upsetting the Seminoles 35–30 in Winston-Salem. Florida State has struggled against Wake Forest recently, losing four out of the last six before this game.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Wake Forest
Florida State shutout a team for the second week in a row by holding Wake Forest scoreless for the second time in three years and winning 52–0. Despite a sluggish start, Florida State scored first with a 16-yard rushing touchdown from EJ Manuel late in the first quarter. Another touchdown in the first quarter came from Rashad Greene with a 60-yard punt return.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Wake Forest
After a fourteen-point first quarter, the Seminoles scored twenty-four more points in the second with a 74-yard touchdown run and an 80-yard touchdown run from Chris Thompson, a field goal from Dustin Hopkins, and a 20-yard touchdown pass from E.J. Manuel to Rodney Smith. Florida State dominated the second half of the game as well. The Seminoles added seven points in the third quarter with a 17-yard touchdown pass from E.J. Manuel to Kenny Shaw. They finished off the game with seven points in the fourth quarter courtesy of an 18-yard touchdown run from Debrale Smiley.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Wake Forest
E.J. Manuel led the team in passing with 176 yards and two touchdowns; Chris Thompson led the team in rushing with 9 carries for 197 yards and two touchdowns; Kelvin Benjamin led the team in receiving with 4 receptions for 44 yards. Dustin Hopkins successfully attempted one field goal. The Seminoles totaled 612 yards of offense in the game, with 385 rushing yards and 227 passing yards while holding Wake Forest to 126 total yards of offense. The victory improved Florida State's all-time record against the Deacons to 24–6–1.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Clemson
Following its meeting with Wake Forest, Florida State hosted the Clemson Tigers in a key division game. Clemson defeated Florida State the previous season 35–30 at Death Valley en route to the Atlantic Division title and an ACC Championship. The winner of this game has represented the Atlantic Division in the ACC Championship Game for the past three years with Clemson winning the division title in 2009, Florida State winning the division title in 2010 and Clemson taking the division title the following year. ESPN's College Gameday was on the campus of Florida State University for the game. The program previously visited the school for a game against Oklahoma during the 2011 season. It is their eighth time hosting and the show's twenty-fourth appearance at an FSU game.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Clemson
Florida State won the game 49–37 after trailing by seven at halftime and erasing a fourteen-point deficit in the second half. Clemson struck first when, during the first drive of the game, Tajh Boyd hooked up with Deandre Hopkins for a 60-yard touchdown pass. Florida State responded with a 13-yard touchdown run from Lonnie Pryor. The game then went back and forth throughout the first half with Clemson scoring on a 6-yard touchdown run from Andre Ellington and Florida State scoring with a James Wilder, Jr. 5-yard touchdown run.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Clemson
Clemson took the lead again with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Tajh Boyd to Brandon Ford after capitalizing on an FSU turnover. Clemson went into halftime with the lead. Florida State had many miscues that kept them from points, including two fumbles, two missed field goals, and a questionable 4th down call that kept them from leading.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Clemson
In the second half, Clemson extended their lead to fourteen when Boyd connected to Sammy Watkins on a bubble screen who then threw the ball to Andre Ellington for a 52-yard touchdown. Florida State then took control of the game, as the Seminoles went on a 35–3 run. First, they scored on a 4-yard touchdown run from Chris Thompson. The defense, who had struggled containing the Tigers in the first half, held Clemson to a field goal which made it a ten-point game.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Clemson
Florida State then closed in on the lead with a 9-yard pass from EJ Manuel to Rashad Greene. They then finally took the lead at the end of the third quarter with a 29-yard touchdown pass from E.J. Manuel to Rodney Smith. This was followed by back-to-back touchdowns from Florida State with a 5-yard run from James Wilder, Jr. and a 27-yard run from Chris Thompson. Clemson scored one more touchdown late in the game with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Tajh Boyd to Brandon Ford on fourth down. They then attempted a two-point conversion which failed after a high snap. Florida State then ran out the clock to preserve the victory.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Clemson
Quarterback E.J. Manuel had a career-best performance with 102 yards rushing, 380 yards passing along with 2 touchdowns as well as a rushing touchdown. He became the first Florida State player since Charlie Ward in 1992 to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 in a game. Because of this accomplishment, Manuel was named the Davey O’Brien Quarterback of the Week. E.J. Manuel led the team in passing with 380 yards and two touchdowns; Chris Thompson led the team in rushing, with 15 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns, and receiving, with 8 receptions for 79 yards. Dustin Hopkins unsuccessfully attempted two field goals. The Seminoles totaled 667 yards of offense in the game, with 287 rushing yards and 380 passing yards while holding Clemson's high powered offense to 426 total yards of offense. The victory improved Florida State's all-time record against the Tigers to 18–8.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, South Florida
In the first road game of the season, the Seminoles traveled to Tampa, Florida take on in-state foes, the South Florida Bulls. This was only the second meeting between these teams. The teams previously met during the 2009 season in Tallahassee where South Florida defeated Florida State 17–7.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, South Florida
Florida State won the game 30–17 despite a sluggish start. South Florida got on the board first with a 32-yard field goal from Maikon Bonani. Florida State took the lead with a 10-yard touchdown run from Rashad Greene. At the end of the first quarter, the Seminoles held a slim four point lead. They extended their lead in the second quarter with two field goals from Dustin Hopkins, a 6-yard field goal and a 23-yard field goal, after previously missing a field goal in the first quarter. Florida State carried a ten-point lead into the half.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, South Florida
At the start of the second half, South Florida closed the gap with a 1-yard touchdown run from B.J. Daniels. Florida State responded with a 1-yard touchdown pass from EJ Manuel to tight end Kevin Haplea and later extended their lead again with a 23-yard field goal from Hopkins. At the end of the third quarter, the Seminoles capitalized on a South Florida turnover when Christian Jones had a 12-yard fumble return to give the Seminoles their largest lead of the game. The Bulls scored again in the fourth quarter with B.J. Daniels 3-yard touchdown run, but Florida State was able to preserve a 13-point victory.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, South Florida
Quarterback E.J. Manuel had another impressive performance going 19/25 with one touchdown, no interceptions and 251 total yards of offense. Manuel led the team in passing with 242 yards and one touchdown; Chris Thompson led the team in rushing with 17 carries for 74 yards; Rashad Greene led the team in receiving with 2 receptions for 71 yards. Dustin Hopkins made two out of three field goals. The Seminoles totaled 425 yards of offense in the game, with 183 rushing yards and 242 passing yards while holding South Florida to 268 total yards of offense. The victory evened Florida State's all-time record against the Bulls at 1–1.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, NC State
Following its trip to South Florida, Florida State traveled to Raleigh for their first ACC road game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Florida State shutout NC State 34–0 during the previous meeting in Tallahassee. The two schools have split their meetings over the past ten years, with Florida State winning five and N.C. State winning five and both teams have split the last two with N.C. State winning at home in 2010 and Florida State winning at home in 2011.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, NC State
Florida State lost to the North Carolina State Wolfpack, 17–16. Florida State dominated the first half of the game, building a 16–0 lead by halftime. The Seminoles scored first with a 49-yard field goal from kicker Dustin Hopkins which put FSU up by three in the first quarter. They followed that up in the second quarter with a 4-yard touchdown pass from EJ Manuel to Nick O'Leary to give them a ten-point lead. Two more field goals, of 45 and 20 yards respectively, extended that lead to sixteen.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, NC State
After controlling the first two quarters, the momentum shifted in the next two quarters as Florida State failed to score in the second half. NC State scored their first points of the game with a 27-yard field goal. This was followed by a 24-yard touchdown pass from Mike Glennon to put the Wolfpack within six points. A subsequent drive by the Seminoles ended with a sack that put them out of field goal range. North Carolina State State blocked the punt and were able to score on a fourth down touchdown to give them the lead with just sixteen seconds remaining in the game. Florida State was unable to score on their next possession. The upset was the Seminoles' first loss of the season.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, NC State
E.J. Manuel led the team in passing with 218 yards and one touchdown; Chris Thompson led the team in rushing with 25 carries for 141 yards; Rashad Greene led the team in receiving with 6 receptions for 60 yards. Dustin Hopkins successfully attempted three field goals. Despite losing, the Seminoles outgained NC State with 343 yards of offense in the game, with 125 rushing yards and 218 passing yards while holding the Wolfpack to 325 total yards of offense. The loss brought Florida State's all-time record against the Wolfpack to 22–11.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Boston College
After two straight road games, the Seminoles returned home to face the Boston College Eagles. Florida State won the game by a score of 38–7 in Chestnut Hill the previous season. Florida State has won the last two games in this series.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Boston College
Florida State rebounded from a loss and defeated Boston College, 51–7. The Seminoles dominated the game from start to finish. They scored first early in the game with a 77-yard touchdown pass from EJ Manuel to Kenny Shaw. This was followed by a 2-yard touchdown run from Lonnie Pryor to give FSU a 14–0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Scoring was opened in the second quarter with a 7-yard touchdown run from James Wilder, Jr. on a pass from E.J. Manuel. They built a four possession lead with 6-yard touchdown pass from E.J. Manuel to Kelvin Benjamin. The Eagles got on the board with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Chase Rettig to Bobby Swiggert. Florida State extended the lead with a 51-yard field goal from kicker Dustin Hopkins, giving the Seminoles a twenty-four point lead at the half.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Boston College
Florida State went on to control the second half of the game as well, holding Boston College scoreless in both the third and fourth quarters. In the third quarter, Florida State scored twice with a 3-yard touchdown run from Lonnie Pryor and a 26-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins. Florida State scored two more times in the fourth quarter with a 12-yard touchdown pass from E.J. Manuel to James Wilder, Jr. and a 38-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Boston College
E.J. Manuel had another career-best night with 439 passing yards becoming the first Florida State quarterback to have over 400 passing yards in one game since Chris Weinke in 2000. With this game, Dustin Hopkins became the all-time scoring leading at Florida State as well as in the Atlantic Coast Conference. E.J. Manuel led the team in passing with 439 yards and four touchdowns; Devonta Freeman led the team in rushing with 8 carries for 70 yards; Kenny Shaw led the team in receiving with 2 receptions for 125 yards and one touchdown. Dustin Hopkins successfully attempted three field goals. The Seminoles totaled 649 yards of offense in the game, with 201 rushing yards and 448 passing yards while holding the Eagles to 225 total yards of offense. The victory brought Florida State's all-time record against the Eagles to 7–4.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Miami (FL)
Florida State hit the road once again to face off against conference rival, the Miami Hurricanes. Florida State won the previous meeting between the two by a score of 23–19 in Tallahassee. The Seminoles have won three of the last four and three straight on the road against the Hurricanes.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Miami (FL)
Florida State beat Miami for a third straight time, 33–20. Miami struck first, scoring the first ten points of the game, the first seven off of a Florida State fumble and the other three on a botched punt. Florida State then went on to score 13 unanswered points in the first half, courtesy of a 33-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins, a 17-yard run from James Wilder, Jr. to tie the game, and another 46-yard field goal as time expired. The Seminoles carried a three-point lead into halftime.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Miami (FL)
Florida State opened the second half with a 35-yard field goal to increase their lead to six. Miami responded with a 27-yard field goal of their own to cut the lead back down to three. The Seminoles then took control of the game in the fourth quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run from Devonta Freeman, a 48-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins, and another 5-yard touchdown run from Devonta Freeman. The Hurricanes scored the final points of the game with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Stephen Morris to Rashawn Scott. Florida State got the ball back and ran the clock to maintain a thirteen-point win over their rival.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Miami (FL)
EJ Manuel led the team in passing with 229 yards; Devonta Freeman led the team in rushing with 10 carries for 70 yards and two touchdowns; Rashad Greene led the team in receiving with 7 receptions for 49 yards. Tyler Hunter recorded one interception. Dustin Hopkins successfully attempted four out of five field goals. The Seminoles totaled 447 yards of offense in the game, with 218 rushing yards and 229 passing yards while holding the Hurricanes to 258 total yards of offense. The victory brought Florida State's all-time record against the Hurricanes to 26–31.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Miami (FL)
Due to questionable calls, the officiating crew for this game was reprimanded by commissioner John Swofford and the head official was suspended for one game because of a failure to properly administer the 10-second runoff rule at the end of the first half.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Duke
After its trip to Miami, Florida State returned home for a homecoming game against the Duke Blue Devils. The Seminoles and the Blue Devils previously met last season in Durham where the Seminoles won by a score of 41–16. Duke has never defeated Florida State in football. As part of homecoming festivities, the Homecoming Chief and Princess were recognized along with alumni being honored.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Duke
Florida State kept their unbeaten streak against Duke going with a 48–7 win over the Blue Devils. Florida State led the game from start to finish. The first score came from a 13-yard touchdown pass from EJ Manuel to Rashad Greene to give the Seminoles the early lead. They then scored on a 75-yard punt returned for a touchdown by Tyler Hunter and then added to that lead with a 26-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Duke
Florida State continued their control of the game in the second quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run from James Wilder, Jr. capping a three play drive and a 9-yard touchdown run from Devonta Freeman. Duke got on the board with their first score of the game courtesy of a 3-yard touchdown run from Jela Duncan. The Seminoles had a twenty-four point lead at the half.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Duke
Florida State dominated the second half by holding Duke scoreless. The Seminoles received the ball to open the half and took advantage by scoring a 14-yard touchdown run from Devonta Freeman. They scored again in the third quarter with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin from E.J. Manuel. The last score of the game came from Dustin Hopkins who set a new career-long, first set in 2010, with a 56-yard field goal.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Duke
E.J. Manuel led the team in passing with 282 yards and two touchdowns; Devonta Freeman led the team in rushing with 12 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns; Rodney Smith led the team in receiving with 3 receptions for 112 yards. On special teams, Tyler Hunter returned a punt for a touchdown and Dustin Hopkins successfully attempted two field goals, including the longest of his career.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Duke
With this game, kicker Dustin Hopkins became the Atlantic Coast Conference career field goal leader and tied with Sebastian Janikowski for the second-longest kick in school history only trailing a 60-yard field goal from Gary Cismesia. The Seminoles totaled 560 yards of offense in the game, with 261 rushing yards and 299 passing yards while holding the Hurricanes to 232 total yards of offense. The victory brought Florida State's all-time record against the Blue Devils to 18–0.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Virginia Tech
Florida State had a bye before traveling to face the Virginia Tech Hokies in a Thursday night clash. Florida State and Virginia Tech had not met in the regular season since 2008, when the Seminoles defeated the Hokies 30–20 in Tallahassee. The teams previously met in the 2010 ACC Championship Game where Virginia Tech defeated Florida State 44–33. Coming into this game, Florida State had won thirteen of the last fifteen against Virginia Tech.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Virginia Tech
Florida State rallied to defeat Virginia Tech by a score of 28–22. Florida State opened the scoring with a 52-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins to put the Seminoles up by three. Virginia Tech responded with a 35-yard field goal of their own to tie the game. In the second quarter, Florida State settled for another 45-yard field goal to once again give them a three-point lead. Late in the quarter, Virginia Tech took the lead for the first time with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Logan Thomas to Corey Fuller. The Seminoles scored again on a 25-yard touchdown pass from EJ Manuel to Rashad Greene to take back the lead. Florida State led by three points at the half.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Virginia Tech
Florida State struck first in the second half as well courtesy of a 10-yard touchdown from Greg Dent on a pass from E.J. Manuel to give the Seminoles their largest lead of the game. The Hokies then scored a touchdown of their own with a 5-yard run from Logan Thomas to get back within three. Florida State entered the final quarter with a slim lead. The lead slimmed even more as a penalty called on Devonta Freeman in the endzone resulted in a safety which cut the lead to one.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Virginia Tech
The Hokies took the lead on a 21-yard touchdown run from Cody Journell with two minutes left. Trailing by two, the Seminoles, led by their quarterback, put together an 8-play, 68-yard game-winning drive that resulted in a 39-yard touchdown pass from E.J. Manuel to Rashad Greene and a subsequent two-point conversion. The drive gave Florida State a six-point lead with forty seconds left in the game. The game ended with Virginia Tech driving down the field with just seconds remaining on the clock. Tyler Hunter made a key interception in the red zone to prevent Tech from scoring and secure a victory for the Seminoles.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Virginia Tech
E.J. Manuel led the team in passing with 326 yards and three touchdowns while also recording one interception; Lonnie Pryor led the team in rushing with 5 carries for 22 yards; Rashad Greene led the team in receiving with 6 receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns. On special teams, Dustin Hopkins successfully attempted two field goals. The Seminoles were outgained by the Hokies, totaling 311 yards of offense, with 326 passing yards but −15 rushing yards, while the Hokies had 385 total yards of offense although they were held to just 87 rushing yards . Florida State struggled mightily on rushing attempts throughout the game with the fourth worst rushing performance in school history. The victory brought Florida State's all-time record against the Hokies to 23–12–1.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Maryland
After its game against Virginia Tech, Florida State hit the road for the last time to play the Maryland Terrapins. Florida State won the last game played between the two by a score of 41–16 in Tallahassee.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Maryland
Florida State ended conference play with a 41–14 win over the Terrapins. Florida State routed Maryland during the first half of the game. On their first possession, the Seminoles drove down the field and scored with a 5-yard touchdown run from Devonta Freeman. Immediately after, they capitalized on a Maryland fumble to go up by two scores with a 10-yard touchdown pass from EJ Manuel to Nick O'Leary.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Maryland
In the second quarter, Florida State extended their lead with two field goals from Dustin Hopkins, a 26-yard field goal and a 40-yard field goal, and a 30-yard touchdown pass to Rashad Greene from E.J. Manuel to make it a four score lead. The Seminoles led by twenty-seven points at halftime while the Terps remained scoreless at the half.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Maryland
Maryland scored their first points of the game early in the third quarter with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Shawn Petty to Kevin Dorsey to cut the Seminole lead to twenty. Florida State responded with a 2-yard touchdown run from Devonta Freeman, his second touchdown of the day. Going into the fourth quarter, Florida State held a sizeable lead. The lead was extended courtesy of James Wilder, Jr. with a 22-yard touchdown run. Maryland's only other score came in the final seconds with another 42-yard touchdown pass from Shawn Petty to Kevin Dorsey following a State turnover.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Maryland
E.J. Manuel led the team in passing with 144 yards and two touchdowns while also recording one interception, Clint Trickett also entered the game and recorded 16 yards; Devonta Freeman led the team in rushing with 16 carries for 148 yards and two touchdowns; Rashad Greene led the team in receiving with 4 receptions for 50 yards and one touchdown. On special teams, Dustin Hopkins successfully attempted two field goals, making him the all-time NCAA scoring leader with 448 points. The Seminoles totaled 397 yards of offense in the game, with 237 rushing yards and 160 passing yards, while holding the Terrapins to 170 total yards of offense. The victory brought Florida State's all-time record against the Terrapins to 21–2.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Florida
Florida State returned home for their annual rivalry game with the Florida Gators in the regular season finale. Last season, Florida State was victorious with a 21–7 win over their rival in Gainesville. This was the second consecutive victory for the Seminoles after a win the previous season in Tallahassee that snapped a six-game losing streak to the Gators.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Florida
Florida State suffered their second loss of the season and ended the regular season with a 37–26 loss to Florida, their first loss in the series since 2009 and the first loss in the series for coach Jimbo Fisher. Florida State couldn't overcome a five turnover game, their worst ball protection performance so far. Florida scored first with a 39-yard field goal from Caleb Sturgis which was followed by another 45-yard field goal in the second quarter. The Gators then scored on a Florida State turnover with a 9-yard touchdown run from Mike Gillislee. The Seminoles got on the board at the end of the second quarter with 50-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins. Florida held a ten-point lead at halftime, a half that included several turnovers from the Seminoles.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Florida
Florida State scored on their first possession of the second half with a 6-yard touchdown pass from E.J. Manuel to Nick O'Leary to bring the Seminoles within three of the Gators. They took the lead with a 1-yard touchdown run from Manuel following a Florida fumble. The lead was extended with a 53-yard field goal from Dustin Hopkins. Florida State held a seven-point lead heading into the final quarter. Florida pulled within four with a 32-yard field goal from Caleb Sturgis. The Gators then took the lead once again with a 37-yard touchdown run from Mike Gillislee. Their lead was extended courtesy of a 14-yard pass from Jeff Driskel to Quinton Dunbar and a 32-yard touchdown run from Matt Jones. Florida State didn't score again until the last seconds of the game with a 22-yard touchdown run from E.J. Manuel.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, Florida
E.J. Manuel led the team in passing with 182 yards and one touchdown while also recording three interceptions, Clint Trickett also entered the game because of Manuel's injury and recorded 6 yards; E.J. Manuel also led the team in rushing with 12 carries for 54 yards and two touchdowns; Rashad Greene led the team in receiving with 5 receptions for 64 yards. On special teams, Dustin Hopkins successfully attempted two field goals. The Seminoles totaled 300 yards of offense in the game, with 112 rushing yards and 188 passing yards, and were outgained by the Gators who totaled 394 total yards of offense. The loss brought Florida State's all-time record against the Gators to 21–34–2 and 11–13–1 at Doak.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, ACC Championship: Georgia Tech
By virtue of winning the Atlantic Division, Florida State clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game and played for the conference title in Charlotte. This is the Seminoles' third appearance in the conference championship game and their fourth division title. They have won the division title twice in the last three years. Florida State has a 1–1 record in this game.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, ACC Championship: Georgia Tech
Florida State faced the Coastal Division champion, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech was named champions of the Coastal Division due to Miami self imposing a post-season ban and North Carolina being under NCAA sanctions making both teams ineligible. These two teams last met during the 2009 season. In that meeting, the Yellow Jackets won 49–44 in Tallahassee. Georgia Tech has won two straight in the series, but Florida State has won eight of the last ten.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, ACC Championship: Georgia Tech
Florida State captured the ACC title with a 21–15 win over Georgia Tech. Florida State built up an early lead and never relinquished it. The Seminoles forced Georgia Tech to punt on the first possession of the game and then went on to score on their own first possession with a 3-yard touchdown run from Devonta Freeman. This was followed by a 16-yard touchdown run from James Wilder, Jr. in the second quarter. Georgia Tech put their first points on the board with a 27-yard field goal from Chris Turner to cut the Seminoles lead to eleven. Florida State scored again courtesy of another 1-yard touchdown run from James Wilder, Jr. Before halftime, Georgia Tech kicked a 47-yard field goal to give the Yellow Jackets three more points. The Seminoles went into the half with a 21–6 lead.


2012 Florida State Seminoles football team, Schedule, Game summaries, ACC Championship: Georgia Tech
After dominating the first two quarters, Florida State was held scoreless during the last two quarters. Georgia Tech added more points in the third quarter with a 36-yard field goal from Chris Tanner and in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run from Tevin Washington to pull them within six of the lead; a subsequent two-point conversion failed. Georgia Tech got the ball back and were driving down the field in the final minutes until Karlos Williams intercepted in Florida State territory, which enabled the Seminoles to take a knee and claim a win over the Yellow Jackets.