(03-06-2013 08:48 AM)jnewyouth Wrote:  The Metro is perfect for this new conglomerate. With 6 former members, one could argue that it's not even a rebrand, simply a return to their original brand.

The retro Metro.

I like reviving the Metro Conference, but let me get this straight:
UConn
Temple
Cincinnati
Memphis
ECU
UCF
USF
Tulane
Houston
SMU

Navy*

So Navy is definitely in? If they are, then Army makes sense for football-only as well, but I think Army would still decline. I feel like the Navy idea is just complicating things, I don't even see how Navy is benefiting from this. Suppose the best options are UMass, Southern Miss, or Tulsa.

I don't have a dog in this fight and as an outsider I can say this: any name with metro on it screams "commuter school" (whether that's right or wrong it's for debate) and I'm sure schools like Houston, Memphis, Temple, etc want to get away from the "commuter school" stigma. That's my 2 cents.

I would scratch the metro idea.

The name i like is Victory League (VL). It has no geographic identifier behind it and it suggests a league striving for success.

Anything with Conference and/or America in it is going to sound like CUSA and/or MAC and that is the last thing the oBE wants to be identified with.

(03-06-2013 04:44 AM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  Further, it fits. Except for ECU, we're all urban schools.

Urban as defined by the census is over 50,000. Greenville is over 86,000 (2011). Greenville is definitely "urban" by definition.

Metro is a different story. The Greenville Metropolitan Area includes 192,690 people. Greenville fits almost all of the metropolitan definition although we're not there yet. Greenville is definitely the center/pull of its surrounding region. Another 100,000 people and it would easily be considered a metropolitan area. For a city, that's a tough goal but for a metro area I think that's an easy goal over the next 5-10 years.

They should just use "Big 14" or "Big 16". It is not like the names have to reflect the number of teams in the conference. Or, just call themselves, "The Big Conference"

There is merit to this idea...check out the Wiki page for the Metro Conference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Conference

When you really delve into what that is saying it really shows that the Big East (as well as the SEC, ACC, & B1G) really thwarted what was planned with the same schools. This new conference is really returning to its roots with a few new players...UConn started football so is changing conferences, South Florida also started football...ECU was planned in football...now we are talking about Navy (maybe even Army) and the new kid on the block, UCF.

I think a return to Metro may actually be a way to provide a historical component to what appeared on the surface to be a conglomeration of schools. In reality what we have is two leftovers of the Southwest Conference along with the leftovers of the original Metro conference. For next year even Rutgers and Louisville are on board. The Big East started its football conference which in short order killed the Metro....now that the Big East is returning to its roots, maybe the Metro can as well.

We all knew the Big East football conference was a failure and it took over 20 years to figure it out. Here's some history...ironically in the Sentinel, UCF's main paper...

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1990...etro-plans

FSU pulled out soon after to join the ACC.

(03-06-2013 12:31 PM)apex_pirate Wrote:  

(03-06-2013 04:44 AM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  Further, it fits. Except for ECU, we're all urban schools.

Urban as defined by the census is over 50,000. Greenville is over 86,000 (2011). Greenville is definitely "urban" by definition.

Metro is a different story. The Greenville Metropolitan Area includes 192,690 people. Greenville fits almost all of the metropolitan definition although we're not there yet. Greenville is definitely the center/pull of its surrounding region. Another 100,000 people and it would easily be considered a metropolitan area. For a city, that's a tough goal but for a metro area I think that's an easy goal over the next 5-10 years.

I see your point, but most Americans don't judge "urban" vs "rural" by the same definitions that the census bureau does.

The census bureau's definitions hail from a time when 30% of the country was yeoman farmers and 70% of the country lived in rural areas. Today, 80% of the country lives in counties with over 50,000 people, and 50% live in metropolitan regions of over 1 million. Standards have changed.

(03-06-2013 12:24 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  I would scratch the metro idea.

The name i like is Victory League (VL). It has no geographic identifier behind it and it suggests a league striving for success.

Anything with Conference and/or America in it is going to sound like CUSA and/or MAC and that is the last thing the oBE wants to be identified with.

That idea stinks.