Simplify the following text for a Grade 5 native English-speaking person.
Original: The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference that is part of the NCAA 's Division I. It started when the Big 8 Conference joined together with four colleges from Texas that had been part of the Southwest Conference , and the first games in the Big 12 Conference were played in 1996 .
Simplified: The Big 12 Championship Game was held by the Big 12 Conference each year .