I have made a thread for those who enjoyed the Metro Conference during its 20 year period ('75-'95) and I used to enjoy it because of Louisville's basketball team being in the conference, and if you dream that you want to bring it back, you can post what you want to do to revive the conference.

(And yes, it's yet another create a conference game)

I enjoyed it but didn't the CUSA took its place?

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The Bear may be dead but he still hates Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide

Yes indeed footballgod, CUSA was created in 1995 by the mergers of the Metro and Great Midwest conferences, in 1996 with the addition of Houston from the dead SWC, CUSA started up football, since 1996, it has added ECU, Army, UAB, TCU, and this year, USF. But it now has the potential of losing three teams, Army, Louisville, and Cincy to the Great East.

The reason why I started this thread was because I liked how the Metro was as a basketball conference, I didn't worry about football ever being a sport in the conference during the 1980's, unless if they added a powerhouse football squad. (i.e. Miami) If the Metro started up football first, The Big East football conference probably wouldn't exist.

If the metro conference had an football conference with a basketball conference there would be no cusa or big east football conference that would have been a great football conference.

_________________
The Bear may be dead but he still hates Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide

Teams from the old metro:

Louisville
Cincy
FSU
USC
Tulane
Virginia Tech
Ga Tech (left in 80)
Southern Miss
Memphis

Could have gone after Miami and Penn State back in the day. Would have been a pretty good league.

Not all the teams you listed were Metro members at the same time, for instance, Georgia Tech was already an ACC member (in basketball) before Virginia Tech, Southern Mississippi, and South Carolina were members. Virginia Tech replaced Georgia Tech and Southern Mississippi replaced Saint Louis.

An interesting poser? Looking back at the lineup, post GT, there seems a sincere commonality among the members - kind of an SEC envy. However, I may disagree about the Big East scenario, at least in that the BE would simply look different.

But carry the Metro forward - FSU was headed for its current status regardless of conference membership. Certainly Memphis, So. Miss and USC would be striving. Suppose the eight member league becomes a decent all-sports power. Does Arkansas go there instead of the SEC? Does that bring in Miami to make 10, and create a serious challenger to the SEC? Does the Metro's success inspire the BE schools when JoePa tosses in his BE idea? Would we be without a Big 12 and conf. championship games but instead have more 8-10 member conferences?

'Twould be very interesting if the Metro had stuck around a few more years as an all-sports league!

Gunnerfan, what teams would be in the Big East if the Metro existed as a football conference

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The Bear may be dead but he still hates Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide

Given the time frame of events, I would not be surprised to see a Big East that looked more like the Gavitt plan they're proposing now, with football members including:
BC
Syracuse
Pitt
West Virginia
Temple
Penn State
UConn

Obviously other circumstances could alter how things evolved; Perhaps PSU's involvement encourages Georgetown and others to become 1-A? And/or encourages Temple to invest in football? Maybe Marshall moves up to the BE insead of the MAC, or the BE brings in UCF and SFU instead of Miami. Can you imagine a BE champion playing the Metro Champion in the Outback bowl?!!

I doubt Penn State would be there since Joe PA proposed it and no one but PSU liked it. But hey to each is own. Just Imagine the Big east in the 80's would have been a Great Conference if they just didn't concern themselves with just Basketball.

_________________
The Bear may be dead but he still hates Tennessee. Roll Damn Tide