The 2012 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats were led by third-year head coach Willie Fritz and played their home games at Bowers Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 11–4, 6–1 in Southland play to claim a share of the regular season conference championship. They earned an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs where they advanced to the national championship game where, for the second consecutive year, they lost to North Dakota State.