The University of Washington football team appeared in three Pac-12 championship games, but it won't have a chance to play in a Big Ten title match-up, with College Football Playoff expansion eliminating those league outings everywhere.

With the 24-team CFP format approved on Monday, the Big Ten announced this year's conference championship game in Indianapolis will be its 16th and final offering.

The UW (5-4 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) has all but been eliminated from consideration for one of the final Big Ten title-game berths.

Thus the Huskies finish their conference title-game involvement unbeaten at 3-0.

League title games will discontinue across the board because the FBS college football regular season now will end on Thanksgiving week and the playoffs will begin during the first week of December.

In a release, the Big Ten said it is still determining how it will crown its football champion in future seasons. 

The final Big Ten championship game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and broadcast by FOX. The winner will receive an automatic CFP berth.

Under the 24-team format, the CFP will offer 19 at-large bids and include the Power 4 conference champions and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team. The top eight teams will receive first-round byes, and the opening two rounds of games will be held at the campus of the higher seed.

The first national championship game under the new 24-team model will take place in New Orleans on January 24, 2028, as previously scheduled.

While the Big Ten title game lasted 16 years, the Pac-12 Conference held 13 championship outings through 2023.

In 2016, Chris Petersen's third UW team defeated the Colorado Buffaloes 41-10 in the Pac-12 championship game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on its way to a berth in the four-team CFP against Alabama. Safety Taylor Rapp was named the title game's most valuable player.

Two years later, the Huskies went back to Santa Clara and won a 10-3 defensive struggle with Utah to claim another Pac-12 title before advancing to the Rose Bowl against Ohio State. Cornerback Byron Murphy was selected as the game MVP.

In 2023, the UW edged Oregon 34-31 in a thriller at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas before returning to the four-team CFP and a Sugar Bowl and semifinal meeting with Texas. Quarterback Michael Penix was chosen as the MVP against the Ducks. This was the final Pac-12 title game played after the league splintered and lost teams to the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC.