The Big 12 Conference announced today a conference championship game will be returning in 2017. The teams participating in the game will be the number one and two finishers in the one division, 10-team conference.
In the release, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby explained why the conference went with one division instead of two. “Given our round-robin, nine-game scheduling model, it is expected the Big 12 Champion will be uniquely positioned for College Football Playoff consideration. I would argue there will be no path more difficult than our champion’s, where it will have played every team in the conference, faced at least one Autonomy Conference non-conference opponent, and then plays in our championship game. The guaranteed No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup will be a great game for our fans, and it’s hard to imagine a stronger position for a conference champion.”
The NCAA passed legislation this year for conferences to have a championship with less than 12 members.
The last Big 12 Championship game was in 2010 when Oklahoma beat Nebraska 23-20 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. If there was a conference title last year, it would have been Oklahoma State vs Oklahoma.
The site for 2017 championship game will be announced at a later date but one has to be believe that AT&T Stadium is the front runner to host the game.
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