From AP, NCAA, C-USA and Bonesville staff reports

INDIANAPOLIS — Schools from Conference USA and the Carolinas are among those whose holiday excursion possibilities have been broadened by the NCAA Football Certification Subcommittee's decision to give the green light to three new bowl games — including postseason contests in Hawaii and North Carolina.

In the Hawaii Bowl, representatives of Conference USA and the Western Athletic Conference will compete on December 25 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.

The Queen City Bowl will be played on a date to be determined at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte between representatives of the Big East Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference.

Schools representing the Mountain West Conference and Big East Conference are scheduled to compete in the third newly-certified matchup, the San Francisco Bowl on December 31 at Pacific Bell Park.

The three inaugural bowls, along with 25 others which were recertified, bring to 28 the total number of officially-sanctioned postseason games for next season.

The Division I Board of Directors recently lifted a two-year moratorium on the maximum number of postseason bowls in Division I-A. The moratorium had established a temporary limit of 26 bowl games.

Viable business plans from the new entries and a track record of financial success by the already-established bowls were among the factors that figured into the approval process, according to the Football Certification Subcommittee's chairman.

"We had several new bowl organizations that came to us very well prepared with conference and television commitments, as well as good facilities and support from their communities," said Tim Curley, athletics director at Penn State. "We believe they will sponsor events that will be good experiences for student-athletes.

"The subcommittee also reviewed encouraging reports regarding the current postseason bowl structure," Curley noted. "Specifically, approximately $155 million was distributed to participating teams and conferences, and 1.3 million fans attended bowl games last year."

Preseason games also addressed

In addition, the subcommittee approved eight preseason certified football games. The eight preseason events certified by the committee are: NACDA Kickoff Classic, NACDA Pigskin Classic, Eddie Robinson Classic, BCA Classic, BCA Bowl, Hispanic College Fund Classic, Jim Thorpe Classic and the John Thompson Classic.

Exemptions for preseason events will not continue after the 2002 season because of legislation adopted in 1999 that expanded the regular-season schedule to 12 games in some years. There is one exception for 2003 and 2004. The Black Coaches Association was granted a waiver for those two years for its BCA Classic because of a pre-existing television contract. All other events after the 2002 season must be conducted during the regular playing season and must be included in maximum contest limits.

NCAA member institutions may not participate in postseason football competitions that are not certified. The certification process ensures that bowls meet specific standards for such items as officiating, insurance and distribution of funds.

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