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    NCAA licenses 35 bowls for 2010-14

    Apr 23, 2010 12:29:14 PM


    The NCAA News

     

    The NCAA Football Issues Committee on Thursday granted licenses to 35 of 37 postseason bowl applicants for 2010-14, including two new bowls: the Dallas Football Classic and the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in Bronx, New York.

    The total is one higher than the 34 bowls licensed for 2009-10.

    For the first time, the committee licensed bowls on a four-year cycle instead of the traditional year-by-year basis. The change aligns the licensing schedule with bowl conference agreements, which are completed on four-year cycles, but allows for an annual review by the committee.

    While the NCAA does not administer or operate bowl games, there is a need for NCAA authorization and regulation to ensure student-athlete safety and well-being, thus creating a need for a postseason bowl licensing process to preserve the benefits that bowls traditionally provide to sponsoring communities, participating member schools, conferences and student-athletes.

    The following 35 bowl games have been licensed for 2010-11 through 2013-14:

    The committee denied bowl applications from the Cure Bowl in Orlando and the Christmas Bowl in Los Angeles.

    Dates and times are still being finalized for the slate of bowl games in 2010-11.

    The committee based the total number of approved bowls on historical data regarding the number of teams that are typically bowl eligible and the licensing criteria used each year to assess the qualifications of the bowl candidates. Among other items, the committee reviews conference commitments, sponsorships, revenue expectations, facility conditions, bowl management and community support.

    In a related development, the Division I Legislative Council earlier this month approved a proposal from the Big 12 Conference that defines a "deserving team" for the purposes of bowl selection as one that has at least a .500 record against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents.

    "The committee is pleased to maximize the number of bowl opportunities for student-athletes at the conclusion of each regular season," said Nick Carparelli Jr., senior associate commissioner at the Big East Conference and chair of the Football Issues Committee. "Overall attendance and television ratings have never been higher. The bowl system and college football in general have never been healthier."

    As part of its meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, the committee also reviewed bowl revenues and distributions from the 2009-10 postseason. The committee noted that more than $237 million in bowl revenue was distributed to participating teams and conferences, and that nearly 1.59 million fans attended the bowl games. About 6,300 student-athletes experienced the postseason football bowl games.

    The postseason bowl licensing members of the Football Issues Committee include one representative from each of the 11 Division I Football Bowl Subdivision conferences.