Orlando to host AAC-Sun Belt in '15
The American Athletic and Sun Belt conferences will participate in a new bowl game in Orlando, Fla., in 2015, sources said Tuesday.
The addition of the game -- it will be called the Cure Bowl and benefit breast cancer-related charities -- will increase the number of bowls in 2015 to a record 40, although that includes the College Football Playoff title game, so only 78 bowl teams will be needed.
There are 39 bowls (requiring 76 teams) expected for the coming season -- up from 35 games and 70 teams that went to bowls in 2013.
The Cure Bowl, to be played at the Citrus Bowl, applied to be certified by the NCAA to begin in 2014 but has not found a television network, sources said. This has caused the Orlando bowl to move its start date to 2015, sources said.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that the city of Orlando would hold a news conference Wednesday morning to announce the bowl.
The new bowl would give Orlando three bowls in 2015, along with the Russell Athletic Bowl and Capital One Bowl.
The NCAA had 40 bowls apply for certification for this season, with 39 expected to be approved next month, sources said.
While several bowls have changed names since last year, only the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl was not renewed. Five new bowls will debut this season: Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. (MAC vs. Sun Belt), Detroit Bowl (ACC vs. Big Ten), Bahamas Bowl (rotation of American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt), Miami Beach Bowl (American vs. C-USA, MAC and Sun Belt) and Boca Raton Bowl (rotation of American, C-USA and MAC).
