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 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). However, the north division champion did not win after Kansas State's upset victory over Oklahoma in 2003. 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). The Big 12 South held an overall lead of 11–4 over the Big 12 North in the game.
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 Championship Game was a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference each year between 19.
Logo for the 2008 Big 12 Championship Game For the Big 12 men's basketball championship, see Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament.