Not only has the NCAA Football Certification Subcommittee recertified 28 bowl games for the 2004-05 season, it also met last month with groups interested in submitting applications for three additional bowl games to be played in 2005-06.

Of the 28 bowls recertified, all but two have retained their official bowl names from a year ago. The Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl has changed its name to the Emerald Bowl and the Humanitarian Bowl has been retitled as the MPC Computers Bowl.

The 2003-04 bowl season was the first for which new criteria developed by the subcommittee had been applied. One of the certification criteria requires bowls to maintain an average attendance of 25,000 or 70 percent of stadium capacity over a three-year period. As a result, four bowls -- the Las Vegas, New Orleans, Emerald and Silicon Valley bowls -- were certified with concern expressed by the subcommittee regarding the required attendance criteria.

In addition, the EV1.net Houston Bowl and the Silicon Valley Football Classic were certified with conditions that will require both to submit their required letters of credit by September 1. This action was taken due to the failure of both bowls to submit their letters of credit by the established deadline for the 2003-04 bowl season.

Mike Alden, director of athletics at the University of Missouri, Columbia, and chair of the subcommittee, said, "The subcommittee thoroughly reviewed the new certification criteria to ensure that the bowls were in compliance. The committee believes the new criteria will ensure the long-term viability of the postseason bowl system and provide the type of postseason experience that student-athletes and institutions deserve. The subcommittee's overall evaluation is that the football bowl games provide a positive athletics experience for student-athletes, coaches and fans."

The subcommittee also heard presentations from prospective bowl hosts representing Seattle, Denver and South Florida. Any bowls submitting applications for 2005-06 will receive notification for possible certification at next year's subcommittee meeting. If all are approved, the resulting 62 bowl berths would represent more than half the Division I-A football membership.

In reviewing the 2003-04 bowl season, the subcommittee said that about $182 million in bowl revenue was distributed to participating teams and conferences, and about 1.35 million fans attended the bowl games. About 5,300 student-athletes were involved in the postseason football bowl games.