IRVING -- The Big 12 will get a 13th data point just like all the other cool kids in power conferences.

Factor in an estimated $27 million to $28 million per year in revenue, and the return of a Big 12 championship game starting with the 2017 season became an easy decision for Big 12 presidents Friday.

The conference board of directors voting unanimously to bring back the title game in football. The Big 12's last title game came in 2010, when Oklahoma beat Nebraska and the conference still had 12 teams. Because of NCAA deregulation in January, the Big 12 can hold a title game with just 10 members.

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said the league would probably look at neutral sites to host the game. AT&T Stadium in Arlington hosted the last two title games and would be an obvious choice again with its seating capacity and location.

The Big 12 vote came after presentations from Navigate Research on the impact of a title game on the College Football Playoff and TV consultants Bevilacqua Helfant Ventures on what the conference could earn. Navigate's data indicated that adding a conference title game with 10 members improved the Big 12's chances of reaching the CFP by 14 percent.

"I think it positions us in a very good place," Bowlsby said. "If we're playing a full round-robin and we're playing a championship, our way of determining our champion is the strongest of all of the conferences."

Oklahoma President David Boren, the chairman of the Big 12 board of directors, called the data "very, very convincing."

The Big 12 had been haunted by the 13th data point since Baylor and TCU missed the first College Football Playoff in 2014. Eventual champion Ohio State obliterated Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten title game and moved into the fourth spot. Later, CFP selection committee chairman Jeff Long cited the Big 12's lack of a title game -- what he referred to as the 13th data point for committee consideration -- as a key factor.

While Oklahoma made the College Football Playoff in 2015, the Sooners fell from third to fourth in the final rankings without a title game.

"The proof is in the pudding," Bowlsby said. "We're two years in, and we're batting .500. We'd like to bat higher, and we think this gives us the best chance to do that."

Bowlsby said the Big 12 would almost certainly maintain its round-robin schedule and split into two five-team divisions, with the assignments to be determined. The likely matchup would be the two division champs, although pairing the two highest ranked teams is possible, Bowlsby said.

While a rematch is a given with a round-robin schedule, the Big 12 will look to reduce the possibility of an immediate second meeting. If the Big 12 had a championship game last season, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would have met for the second time in eight days. One possibility: having crossover divisional games scheduled earlier in the season.

Although the Big 12 featured five upsets in title games from 1996-2010, Navigate's analysis said it was worth the risk, Bowlsby said.

"We had some great discussions in Dallas this week about the prospects of playing a Big 12 championship game," Texas athletic director Mike Perrin said. "Given our round-robin format, I came away thinking that it could be the most intriguing matchup of any conference."

Twitter: @ChuckCarltonDMN

Big 12 votes to brings back conference title football game for 2017 after hearing from consultants. Must work on scheduling, choosing, etc. — Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) June 3, 2016