Established in 1996, the Big 12 Conference contains 12 football teams across the central United States. Each of the teams play the five teams within their own division once, plus three teams from the other division once, and three or four games outside their league. The eight league games help determine which teams win their division title and advance to play for the Big 12 Championship game. Winning this game guarantees them a birth in a Bowl Championship Series game.

Texas, winner of the South division defeated Nebraska, winner of the North 13-12 in the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Football Championship, played at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Texas went on to play Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game, losing 37-21. Texas's appearance in the BCS national title game gave the Big 12 its seventh appearance, leading the nation. It was the second consecutive year and third time in the past five seasons that a Big 12 team played for the national title.http://www.big12sports.com/fls/10410/pdfs/football/weekly-release.pdf

Colt McCoy (Texas) and Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska) won a total of 10 national postseason awards. Suh was named the Associated Press Player of the Year.http://www.big12sports.com/fls/10410/pdfs/football/weekly-release.pdf

The 15th annual Dr. Pepper Big 12 Football Championship will be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, December 4, 2010. A bidding process will be held for future championship sites. Six different schools have won the championship over the event's 14 year history. Oklahoma has the most titles winning in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Texas has won three championships (1996, 2005, 2009) and Nebraska has won twice (1997, 1999). Three schools have won the championship once, Texas A&M in 1998, Colorado in 2001 and Kansas State in 2003.http://www.big12sports.com/fls/10410/pdfs/football/weekly-release.pdf

The Big 12 has had seven BCS National Championship Game appearances, going 2-5 in those title games. 2009 saw the Big 12's 17th BCS game in the 12 years of the current system. The Big 12 has won 7 BCS games while losing 10. The Big 12 has placed two teams in BCS bowls during the same season five times (2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008).

Starting with the 2010 season, the Big 12 will have a new post-season bowl lineup. The New Era Pinstripe Bowl, the Dallas Football Classic and the Eagle Bank Bowl are new additions, replacing the affiliations with the Sun, Gator and Independence bowls. The new bowls join existing partner bowls, the BCS/Fiesta, AT&T Cotton, Valero Alamo, Insight, Pacific Life Holiday and Texas bowls.

2010-13 Big 12 Football Bowl Affiliations

• BCS - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
• AT&T Cotton Bowl (SEC)
• Valero Alamo Bowl (Pac-10)
• Insight Bowl (Big Ten)
• Pacific Life Holiday Bowl (Pac-10)
• Texas Bowl (Big Ten)
• New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Big East)
• Dallas Football Classic/Eagle Bank Bowl (Big Ten/ACC)

When the Southwest Conference disbanded in May of 1996, the four schools from that league which reside within the state of Texas decided to join another league. The Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech joined the existing teams in the Big 8 Conference to form the Big 12 Conference. The four former SWC schools were placed into the South Division, along with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Meanwhile, the other six schools would form the North Division: Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska.

North Division

• Colorado
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• Missouri
• Nebraska

South Division

• Baylor
• Oklahoma
• Oklahoma State
• Texas
• Texas A&M
• Texas Tech