In the first season of the newly expanded Pac-12 in 2011, USC finished first in the South Division with a 7–2 conference record but was ineligible to play in postseason games due to NCAA sanctions.

UCLA (5–4) represented the South Division in the inaugural Pac-12 Football Championship Game as its second-place team.

[7] Oregon represented the North Division and defeated UCLA to become the conference's first football champion to be determined by a championship game.

In the event there was a tie two for first place, the championship game berth went to the winner of the season's head-to-head contest between the two teams.

Only three schools (Oregon, Stanford, and Washington) represented the North division; each has won the Championship Game multiple times.

Matchups that have occurred more than once: During its first three years, the site of the Pac-12 Championship Game was the home stadium of the division champion with the superior overall conference record.

After three years of the home-hosting model, the Pac-12 announced a three-year deal to host the game at the neutral site of Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

[26] On May 18, 2022, the Pac-12 announced that starting with the 2022 edition, the two teams with the highest conference winning percentage will face off in the championship game.