| Year Game Played: | 2013 |
| Game Name: | NCAA Division I Football Championship |
| Subheader: | FCS National Championship Game |
| Visitor Name Short: | North Dakota State |
| Visitor Nickname: | Bison |
| Home Nickname: | Bearkats |
| Visitor School: | North Dakota State University |
| Home Name Short: | Sam Houston State |
| Football Season: | 2012 |
| Home School: | Sam Houston State University |
| Visitor Record: | 13–1 |
| Home Record: | 11–3 |
| Visitor Conference: | MVFC |
| Home Conference: | Southland |
| Visitor 1Q: | 3 |
| Home 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 15 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 14 |
| Home 2Q: | 10 |
| Home 3Q: | 0 |
| Home 4Q: | 3 |
| Visitor Coach: | Craig Bohl |
| Home Coach: | Willie Fritz |
| Visitor Rank Tsn: | 1 |
| Visitor Seed: | 1 |
| Home Rank Tsn: | 5 |
| Home Seed: | — |
| Date Game Played: | January 5 |
| Stadium: | FC Dallas Stadium |
| City: | Frisco, Texas |
| Mvp: | Brock Jensen (QB, North Dakota State)[1] |
| Odds: | North Dakota State by 1.5[2] |
| Referee: | Gregg Wilson (Big Sky) |
| Attendance: | 21,411[3] |
| Us Network: | ESPN2 |
| Us Announcers: | Dave Neal (play-by-play), Jay Walker (color), Cara Capuano (sideline) |
| Different Previous: | 2012 |
| Different Next: | 2014 |
The 2013 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the North Dakota State Bison and the Sam Houston State Bearkats. It was played on January 5, 2013, at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The culminating game of the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season, it was won by North Dakota State, 39–13.
With sponsorship by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the game was officially known as the NCAA FCS Championship presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car.[4] The contest was a rematch of the prior season's championship game, which was also won by North Dakota State.
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2012 FCS Playoffs, which began with a 20-team bracket.
See main article: 2012 North Dakota State Bison football team. North Dakota State finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (7–1 in conference), including a win over Colorado State of the FBS. As the first-seed in the tournament, the Bison defeated South Dakota State, Wofford, and fifth-seed Georgia Southern to reach the final. This was North Dakota State's second appearance in an FCS/Division I-AA title game, having won the prior season's title game over Sam Houston State.
See main article: 2012 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team. Sam Houston State finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (6–1 in conference). Two of their losses were to FBS teams; Baylor and Texas A&M. Unseeded in the tournament, the Bearkats defeated Cal Poly, third-seed Montana State, and second-seed Eastern Washington to reach the final. This was also Sam Houston State's second appearance in an FCS/Division I-AA championship game, having lost the prior season's title game to North Dakota State.
Both teams scored a field goal and touchdown in the first half, for a 10–10 score at halftime. The Bearkats appeared to take the lead on a 41-yard run by Timothy Flanders early in the third quarter, but the score was negated by a holding penalty. The Bison went on to score four second-half touchdowns, while holding the Bearkats to a single field goal. The 39–13 final score gave the Bison their second FCS championship.[5]