The 2012 NCAA Bracket is a voluntary organization which encompasses 1281 institutions and organizations. Its main responsibility is the organizing of all the athletic programs in most colleges and universities in USA and Canada. The head quarters of this organization are in Indianapolis, Indiana. The NCAA is divided into three leagues, the division 1, division two and division 3. This was decided on in a 1973 convention.

All the biggest colleges and universities hosted by the association are grouped together in the 1st division whilst all the other smaller institutions are held in these remaining second and third divisions. The schools in the 1st and second divisions all have scholarship options for the athletes who are good in various sports that they play. This is nevertheless not the case in third division schools.

College football was also divided into divisions 1, two and 3, with the first division becoming initially divided into the I A, I AA and I AAA categories. The I AA and I A have since been renamed the Football Champions Subdivision and the Football Bowl Subdivisions in that order, while the I AAA category was totally scrapped and is not officially used.

Women had been not initially represented by the NCAA. They had their own physique which catered for all their college sporting events and scholarships. This was the AIAW, which stands for the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. This organization has because been dissolved and its role taken up by the NCAA.

The association of college sports has a few guidelines and regulations regarding all these who wish to play in the divisions whilst in college. Freshman year is an essential year for athletes. All freshmen who want to play have to have graduated from a high school and they should have completed the required minimum courses, 16 in total.

A choice was reached in 2011, where each and every student in their first year of college has to submit a written and signed letter of intent and want to play in the divisions. This letter is to be submitted no sooner than after the first Wednesday of the month of February. Also in 2011, the association raised the bar on the academic specifications that athletes were supposed to accomplish in order to participate in all post season competitions.

Like all other organizations, the association in charge to college sports, that is the 2012 NCAA Bracket, has a list of guidelines and laws that govern its operations when dealing with its members. The guidelines and regulations had been promulgated and passed around the 1950s as a way of dealing with errant schools.