Myrtle Beach Bowl

The Myrtle Beach Bowl is a planned NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game to be played in Conway, South Carolina, and owned by ESPN Events. The college leagues that have tie-ins with the bowl are Conference USA, Mid-American Conference and Sun Belt Conference.[1] The affiliation contract with ESPN Events has each conference supplying a team four times in a six-year bowl cycle from 2020 to 2025.[2] Coastal Carolina University will host the game at its Brooks Stadium with a new capacity of 20,000 seats following an expansion project completed prior to the 2019 season.[3]

Myrtle Beach Bowl
StadiumBrooks Stadium
LocationConway, South Carolina
Operated2020 (planned debut)
Conference tie-ins

Background

In 2013, "Group of Five" conferences were looking to start bowl games for their leagues, as the Power Five conferences "prefer to play each other in bowl games".[4] The NCAA had a restriction on championship games, including bowl games, being held in South Carolina due to display of the Confederate flag on State House grounds, which was lifted in July 2015.[5] Organizers for the Medal of Honor Bowl, an all-star game, announced their intent to apply for NCAA sanctioning as a traditional postseason bowl game featuring FBS college teams, with a tentative game date of December 18, 2016.[6] However, in April 2016, the NCAA announced a three-year moratorium on new bowl games.[7] In 2017, the Mid-American Conference (MAC) had two teams, Western Michigan and Buffalo, that qualified for bowl games with six wins but did not go to a bowl as the five MAC bowl slots were filled.[2]

History

In June 2018, the NCAA indicated that the Grand Strand area was approved for a bowl game.[5] ESPN Events and the Myrtle Beach Bowl was announced, on November 13, 2018. The three tie-in conferences are the Sun Belt Conference, Conference USA, and Mid-American Conference. The bowl is slated to start playing at the end of the 2020 season in December.[1][8][9] It will be the 40th bowl game in 2020, if no current bowl game ceases operation before then.[1]

See also

References
  1. "New FBS postseason game, Myrtle Beach Bowl, to start in 2020". AP News. November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  2. Nothaft, Patrick (November 13, 2018). "New college football bowl game to feature MAC, Sun Belt and C-USA teams". Kalamazoo Gazette. MLive Media Group. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  3. Blondin, Alan (August 8, 2019). "Expansion of Brooks Stadium is complete. What the new capacity and features mean for CCU". Myrtle Beach Sun News. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  4. McMurphy, Brett (June 11, 2013). "'Group of Five' look to add bowls". ESPN. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  5. Asberry, Derrek (November 13, 2018). "Myrtle Beach Bowl to become first college football bowl game played in South Carolina". Post and Courier. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  6. Hartsell, Jeff (August 26, 2015). "Medal of Honor Bowl now a 'traditional' bowl game". The Post and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  7. McMurphy, Brett (April 11, 2016). "NCAA approves three-year halt to new bowl games". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  8. Taylor, John (November 13, 2018). "ESPN-owned Myrtle Beach Bowl to debut in 2020". CollegeFootballTalk. NBC Sports. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  9. "Myrtle Beach Bowl". myrtlebeachbowlgame.com. 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
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