Big 12 Championship Game Ending as College Football Playoff Expands

IRVING - One of college football's biggest conference championship traditions is coming to an end.

The Big 12 Conference announced Monday that its 2026 football championship game will be the last, closing a chapter that has helped define the league for more than two decades.

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The decision follows the College Football Playoff's expansion from 12 to 24 teams beginning with the 2027 season, a sweeping change that will eliminate traditional championship games across the Power Four conferences.

The final Edward Jones Big 12 Football Championship is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on ABC.

It will be the 25th and final edition of a game that has regularly determined conference supremacy and influenced the national championship picture.

Beginning in 2027, the Big 12's automatic College Football Playoff berth will instead go to its regular-season champion.

That means the conference standings will carry even greater significance, with no championship game offering teams a final opportunity to claim the league title.

The expanded playoff will feature 24 teams, including automatic bids for the four Power Four champions and the highest-ranked Group of Six champion. The remaining 19 berths will be awarded through the selection process.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark welcomed the additional postseason opportunities.

"The Big 12 has consistently advocated for greater access to the College Football Playoff," Yormark said in a statement Monday.

While the new format creates more opportunities for schools to compete for a national championship, the elimination of the conference title game represents a significant cultural change.

For years, the Big 12 Championship has delivered unforgettable moments, dramatic finishes and high-stakes matchups between the league's best teams.

Texas Tech captured the 2025 championship, earning its first College Football Playoff appearance. The Red Raiders are again competing for the conference crown this season, alongside contenders including Utah, BYU and Houston.

Whoever emerges in December will hold a unique distinction: the final winner of the Big 12 Championship Game.

The conference plans to celebrate that history throughout the farewell event.

Former Big 12 commissioners will be recognized, while video tributes will honor championship teams, coaches and players who helped build the game's legacy.

For fans, the final championship promises more than another trophy presentation.

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It will mark the end of an era in which a single December showdown could determine a conference champion and reshape the national championship race.

College football's postseason future is expanding dramatically. But for the Big 12, something familiar is disappearing in the process.