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". 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. 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. However, in April 2016, the NCAA announced a three-year moratorium on new bowl games. In June 2018, the NCAA indicated that the
Grand Strand area was approved for a bowl game. with tie-ins to three conferences: the
Sun Belt Conference,
Conference USA (C-USA), and
Mid-American Conference (MAC). During
2017–18 bowl season, there had been three teams that were
bowl eligible but did not go to a bowl, as all slots were filled:
Western Michigan and
Buffalo from the MAC, and
UTSA from C-USA. On November 6, 2025,
Engine, a business and group travel platform, signed on a sponsor of the game, officially named the
Myrtle Beach Bowl presented by Engine. ==Game results==