The Big 12 announced Friday that its championship game, which returns next season, will match the top two football teams in the conference standings. Custom Colorado Avalanche Jerseys .The conference considered going to divisions out of its round-robin format but opted against it in the end -- despite a 7-3 vote among football coaches Wednesday in favor of splitting into divisions, sources told ESPNs Brett McMurphy.There are a number of advantages to matching our top two teams, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in a statement. Given our round-robin, nine-game scheduling model, it is expected the Big 12 champion will be uniquely positioned for College Football Playoff consideration.I would argue there will be no path more difficult than our champions, where it will have played every team in the conference, faced at least one [Power 5] nonconference opponent, and then plays in our championship game. The guaranteed No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup will be a great game for our fans, and its hard to imagine a stronger position for a conference champion.Bowlsby said the Big 12 would continue to use the same tiebreakers to determine the title game participants, with head-to-head matchups being the lone deciding factor when two teams finish with the same record. In the event three or more teams are tied, the Big 12 would compare conference records, then conference records against the next-highest-placed team(s), then scoring differential and then a draw -- in that order.In June, the Big 12 voted to bring back its championship game beginning in 2017. Since contracting to 10 members in 2011, the Big 12 had staged a round-robin format and has been the only Power 5 conference without a championship game.After failing to put a team in the first playoff, the Big 12, in order to give the conference a larger presence on the final weekend of the season, voted to re-implement the championship game. The conference also was told by the CFP selection committee that it was at a disadvantage, compared to the other Power 5 conferences because it was the only one that didnt give its champion the opportunity to win a 13th game.Data consultants hired by the league also argued that the Big 12s previous format had diminished its chances of putting a team in the playoff.Bowlsby has said a championship game could net the league at least an additional $27 million in revenue a year.The Big 12 is expected to announce where it will hold its championship game next month, and sources told McMurphy that Arlington, Texas, is the prohibitive favorite to host the 2017 game. Kansas City, Missouri, and San Antonio also are in the running. Colorado Avalanche Gear .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. Fake Avalanche Jerseys . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. https://www.cheapavalanche.com/ . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- John OKorn has made his first start for No. 4 Michigan.OKorn took the first snap for the Wolverines on Saturday against Indiana, replacing Wilton Speight. The right-handed Speight hurt his left shoulder in last weeks loss at Iowa.Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh refused to say earlier in the week if Speight would be cleared to play the Hoosiers.Speight threw passes with the rest of the teams quarterbacks before the game, but did not take snaps. But Harbbaugh could also be keeping rival and second-ranked Ohio State wondering if it should prepare to play against Speight next week. Avalanche Jerseys China. OKorn transferred to Michigan last year after starting 16 games and playing in 20 games over two years at Houston.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '