What The Hell Was The Cure Bowl & The Christmas Bowl?

As you have probably seen by now, the NCAA officially approved the Big East-affiliated Pinstripe Bowl and the Dallas Football Classic as new bowl games for the 2010-11 season.  And in case you're wondering, the Pinstripe Bowl has an official site. 

Also included in the release was the shocking news that the NCAA actually rejected bowl games as well.  They can do that?  The NCAA actually turns down bowl games?  The NCAA says no to money?  I haz the shockz.  What makes it all the more confusing is that I've never even heard of either of the two bowls that got rejected...The Cure Bowl and The Christmas Bowl.

I'm always fascinated by where bowls are and where they are not.  Another bowl in Orlando seems like a waste of time but the idea of another bowl in Los Angeles seems like a no-brainer.  So what happened here?

First, The Cure Bowl.  Apparently this is an ongoing attempt to get a bowl game at UCF’s Bright House Networks Stadium.  It would have been called the Cure Bowl because "proceeds of the bowl game would have gone to organizations that fight breast cancer."  So I'm guessing no Hooters sponsorship? 

According to the website, the game would have featured teams from Conference USA and the Sun Belt.  While the game does have a decent list of sponsors, it was simply too far down the totem pole after Dallas and NY.  However it should be noted that the Cure Bowl is likely the "first alternate" in case one of the 35 bowl games can't make a go of it over the next couple years.

Now, the Christmas Bowl.  While the Cure bowl was a known quantity, the Xmas Bowl seems to have some out of left field, or left hashmark.  No one is quite sure who was behind the game and whether or not it would be played at the Rose Bowl, Coliseum or some other venue. The Los Angeles Christmas Festival was a bowl game played back in 1924 in the Coliseum so perhaps this was an attempt to revive that.

If there wasn't already such a glut, I'd say it does seem strange there isn't a 2nd bowl in Los Angeles.  I'd much rather play in the Coliseum in December than Detroit, New York or Washington D.C.

The greatest tragedy of all is the fact that we've been robbed of the chance to see the Christmas Bowl get some kind of awkward sponsor.  The magicJack Christmas Bowl just seems like something Jesus would have wanted (along with free long distance service).