The 2012 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team, led by third-year head coach Joker Phillips, played their home games at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky, US, and compete in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). On November 4, 2012, Kentucky Athletic director Mitch Barnhart announced that the university would not retain Phillips as head coach after the season.