2012 Stanford Cardinal football team

2012 Stanford Cardinal football
Pac-12 champion
Pac-12 North Division co-champion
Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 20–14 vs. Wisconsin
ConferencePac-12 Conference
DivisionNorth Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
APNo. 7
Record12–2 (8–1 Pac-12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorPep Hamilton (2nd season)
Offensive schemeWest Coast
Defensive coordinatorDerek Mason (2nd season)
Base defense3–4
Captains
Home stadiumStanford Stadium
Seasons
← 2011
2013 →
2012 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
North Division
No. 7 Stanford xy$   8 1     12 2  
No. 2 Oregon x%   8 1     12 1  
No. 20 Oregon State   6 3     9 4  
Washington   5 4     7 6  
California   2 7     3 9  
Washington State   1 8     3 9  
South Division
UCLA x   6 3     9 5  
Arizona State   5 4     8 5  
USC   5 4     7 6  
Arizona   4 5     8 5  
Utah   3 6     5 7  
Colorado   1 8     1 11  
Championship: Stanford 27, UCLA 24
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2012 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinal were led by second-year head coach David Shaw. They played their home games at Stanford Stadium and were members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

The Cardinal won their first Pac-12 championship since 1999 after defeating UCLA in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game. They represented the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl, where they defeated Wisconsin to win their first Rose Bowl championship since 1972. This was Stanford's third consecutive year playing in a BCS bowl game. They finished the season with a 12–2 record (8–1 Pac-12).