Myrtle Beach Bowl
| Myrtle Beach Bowl | |
|---|---|
| File:Myrtle Beach Bowl.jpg | |
| Stadium | Brooks Stadium |
| Location | Conway, South Carolina |
| Operated | 2020 (planned debut) |
| Conference tie-ins | |
| 2020 matchup | |
| Teams TBA (December 21, 2020) | |
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]
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 debut as part of the 2020–21 bowl season.[1][8][9]
See also
- LA Bowl – also planned to debut in 2020
References
- ^ a b "New FBS postseason game, Myrtle Beach Bowl, to start in 2020". AP News. November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ McMurphy, Brett (June 11, 2013). "'Group of Five' look to add bowls". ESPN. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ McMurphy, Brett (April 11, 2016). "NCAA approves three-year halt to new bowl games". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
- ^ Taylor, John (November 13, 2018). "ESPN-owned Myrtle Beach Bowl to debut in 2020". CollegeFootballTalk. NBC Sports. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- ^ "Myrtle Beach Bowl". myrtlebeachbowlgame.com. 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2018.