Big 12 Conference football Big 12 Conference is a conference of 10 ( originally 12 ) universities which participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ' s Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football . The conference was formed in 1994 but did not begin conference play until the fall of 1996 . The schools that compose the Big 12 Conference , except West Virginia , were members of either the Big Eight Conference or the Southwest Conference , and have won 18 national titles including three since the inception of the Big 12 Conference . Divisions . There are many national football powerhouses in the Big 12 Conference , and when the league was formed , it was decided that the top team from the South Division would play the top team from the North Division at the end of the season to determine the conference champion . Till the 2011 season , teams played eight conference games a season , facing all five opponents within its own division and three teams from the opposite division . Inter - divisional play is a " three - on , three - off " system , where teams will play three teams from the other division on a home - and - home basis for two seasons , and then play the other three foes from the opposite side for a two - year home - and - home . This format came under considerable criticism , especially from fans at Nebraska and Oklahoma , who were denied a yearly matchup between two of college football ' s most storied programs . The Oklahoma – Nebraska rivalry was one of the most intense rivalries in college football history . ( Until 2006 , the teams had never met in the Big 12 Championship . ) Starting the with the 2011 season , after the departure of Nebraska and Colorado to the Big Ten and Pac - 10 respectively , the divisions were merged and each team played all remaining nine teams from the conference . The Championship game was removed from the schedule . Championship game . The Big 12 Championship Game was held by the Big 12 Conference each year until 2010 . The championship game pitted the Big 12 North Division champion against the Big 12 South Division champion in a game held after the regular season has been completed . The first championship game was held during the 1996 season in St . Louis . The 2009 and 2010 games were played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington , Texas . With the loss of Nebraska to the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac - 12 , the Big 12 Championship Game has been discontinued . Final standings . By rank . If two teams are tied , If three or more teams are tied , tiebreakers 1 through 4 will be followed until a determination is made . Once a team has been eliminated from a multi - team comparison , it is dropped from further comparisons . If only two teams remain tied after any step , the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be given higher ranking . Divisions . From 1996 to 2010 the twelve teams played in two divisions of six teams each . Following Colorado and Nebraska ' s departure for the Pac - 10 and Big Ten respectively , divisional play was dropped in favor of a nine game round robin to determine the Big 12 Champion . Records . Team vs . Team . Composite all - time records Total though 2011 season .