Bowl game set for Orange Coast

Two local businesses will combine to sponsor the Orange County Bowl, a postseason community college football game that will be played at Orange Coast College on Nov. 17, OCC Coach Mike Taylor said.

Taylor said AT&T; and Bridgestone Firestone have supplied $5,000, well more than the $3,000 minimum budget required by the California Commission on Athletics to establish a bowl game.

Taylor said he hopes to continue to add to the sponsorship pool, in order to fund the game annually.

“Southern California schools have the potential for seven bowl games, but we could only fill six [last year],” Taylor said. “When we got back from Santa Monica [site of the U.S. Bank Beach Bowl in which the Pirates lost to Mt. San Antonio College], I talked to my staff about creating a bowl game of our own.”

The game could be part of the state playoffs, or an independent bowl game, depending on whether Orange Coast makes the state playoffs or not, Taylor said.

Either way, Orange Coast will need to earn one of the top 14 spots in Southern California to play in the game. Should OCC not qualify, two other schools will compete in the Orange County Bowl.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or barry.faulkner@latimes.com.