The 2012 WKU Hilltoppers football team represented

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...

in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by third-year head coach

Willie Taggart Willie Author Taggart (born August 27, 1976) is an American football college coach. He has held the head coach position at five NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision programs: Western Kentucky (2009 to 2012 seasons); South Florida (2013 to ...

and played their home games at

Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium at Jimmy Feix Field is a 22,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Bowling Green, in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is home to the Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky Hilltoppe ...

. They were a member of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 4–4 in Sun Belt play to finish in fifth place. They were invited to the

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (known as the Motor City Bowl until 2009) was a post-season college football bowl game that was played annually from 1997 to 2013. The first five games (1997–2001) were played at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, ...

, their first bowl appearance since joining FBS in 2007, where they were defeated by

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan cor ...

.WKU Football Media Guide retrieved 31 March 2020.
/ref> After a three-year record of 16–20, head coach Willie Taggart resigned in December to become the head coach at South Florida. Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry coached the Hilltoppers in Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

Bobby Petrino Robert Patrick Petrino (born March 10, 1961) is an American football coach. He currently serves as the Offensive Coordinator for the Texas A&M Aggies. He is the former head coach for the Missouri State Bears. Previously, he served as the head co ...

was hired as the school's new head coach on December 10, 2012.

Schedule

Game summaries

Austin Peay

@ Alabama

@ Kentucky

The win over the Wildcats of the SEC marks the Hilltoppers first ever win over a team from a Bowl Championship Series conference..

Southern Miss

@ Arkansas State

@ Troy

Louisiana–Monroe

@ FIU

Middle Tennessee

Florida Atlantic

@ Louisiana–Lafayette

North Texas

Central Michigan–Little Caesars Pizza Bowl

This will be the Hilltoppers first bowl game since becoming a member of the FBS in 2007.

References

WKU Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football seasons

WKU Hilltoppers football The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football program is a college football team that represents Western Kentucky University. The team competes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level and represents the university as a member of Conf ...

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