2002 Big 12 Championship Game
| Big 12 Championship Game | |
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| Sport | Football |
| Conference | Big 12 Conference |
| Played | 1996–2010; 2017–present |
| Last contest | 2010 |
| Most championships | Oklahoma Sooners (7) |
| TV partner(s) | Fox |
| Official website | Big12Sports.com Football |
| Sponsors | |
| Dr. Pepper | |
| Host stadiums | |
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| Host locations | |
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The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and will return starting with the 2017 season. From 1996 to 2010 the championship game pitted the Big 12 North Division champion against the South Division champion in a game held after the regular season was completed.
The Big 12 South led the series 11–4 and outscored the Big 12 North 463–324 in the 15 years the game was held. In the first eight Big 12 championship games, from 1996 to 2003, the divisions split four games each, with the north champion winning in every odd-numbered year and the south champion winning in every even-numbered year. However, the North division champion did not win after #13 Kansas State's 35–7 upset victory over #1 Oklahoma in 2003.
The first championship game was played after the 1996 regular season, the first year of play for the Big 12 (which was created from the merger of the Big Eight Conference and four teams from the Southwest Conference). Like the SEC Championship Game (which has been played since 1992), the game matched the winners of the conference's two six-team divisions. The championship game was held at several sites within the Big 12 states, with Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, hosting more often than any other venue.
The 2008 Big 12 Championship Game was notable for the controversy over choosing the South Division representative. The Oklahoma Sooners, Texas Longhorns, and Texas Tech Red Raiders all finished with identical records and had each recorded a win and loss amongst one another. The Sooners earned a berth to the title game because they had the highest Bowl Championship Series ranking of the three at the time of selection. Oklahoma defeated the Missouri Tigers and earned a berth in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game.
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