The last time a Big 12 football team played for a national title was in the 2009 BCS Championship Game. Texas lost to Alabama, 37-21. Since then, the league has been largely sidelined except for a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance by Oklahoma last season. The Sooners lost to Clemson, 37-17.
Suspect scheduling and/or a lack of a conference championship game may have played a part in Baylor and TCU's failure to make the 2014 College Football Playoff.
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An NCAA rule change adopted in January allows the Big 12 to hold a championship game despite having less than the previously required 12 member schools.