Big 12 to play championship game starting in 2017

After months of chatter and debate, the Big 12 has finally approved the implementation of a conference championship game, beginning in 2017.

Big 12 representatives voted unanimously Friday at the league's spring meetings to approve the institution of a title game, marking its second significant decision in the last two days.

"We were absolutely unified," Oklahoma president David Boren said to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN. "It was strong, unanimous support for the championship game, and it was based upon both what it does to our competitive position and what it does to our financial position in the conference. We had very, very strong feelings about that and very strong positive momentum."

Under its new format, the Big 12 plans to divide itself into two five-team divisions and pit the winners of each against one another in the title game. The game will be broadcast on ESPN in even-numbered years, and on FOX in odd-numbered years. The TV deal will run through 2024.

"This addresses a number of issues that we ran into at the end of the 2014 season," Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said.

The lack of a conference championship game became particularly problematic two years ago, when the NCAA discarded its BCS bowl system and created a four-team College Football Playoff to crown a national champion.

The Big 12 hasn't held a conference championship game since it was reduced to 10 teams following the 2010 season. It's been the lone Power 5 conference not to play a title game over that time.

The league didn't make a decision on expansion Friday, though instituting a conference championship game increases the likelihood that multiple teams will be added to the conference at some point in the future.

The league did decide, however, not to seek a traditional conference network, with Oklahoma president David Boren telling reporters "the boat has sailed" on that idea.