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South Carolina fans - Enlighten me
Posted on 8/26/14 at 11:41 am
Posted on 8/26/14 at 11:41 am
I was reading some history of conference expansion and came up on this:
In 1990, there was a proposed 16-team Metro Conference that may have changed college football history had South Carolina chose the Metro over the SEC.
North Division
-------------------
Boston College
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
Syracuse
Temple
Virginia Tech
West Virginia
South Division
---------------
East Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Memphis
Miami
South Carolina
Southern Miss
Tulane
South Carolina's decision to join the SEC, along with some infighting in the Virginia legislature over whether Virginia Tech and VCU should be in separate conferences, caused the proposed Metro Conference to fall apart.
And while college football fans of today might dismiss this - consider that Miami was the perennial powerhouse program of the time, Louisville had just thrashed Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl and Florida State was building its program. Even Southern Miss had a young Brett Favre and was a draw.
Raycom Media was behind this proposal, and had the Metro Conference come to past, the SEC would not be where it is today.
After South Carolina decided to join the SEC, Miami and most of the proposed North division formed the Big East football conference, Florida State went to the ACC, and the leftovers formed Conference USA.
The remaining Conference USA schools were so pissed at South Carolina for screwing this up that they did not allow the Gamecocks to compete in Conference USA men's soccer as originally planned.
Thanks, South Carolina! Another reason that 1992 Expansion > 2012 Expansion.
In 1990, there was a proposed 16-team Metro Conference that may have changed college football history had South Carolina chose the Metro over the SEC.
North Division
-------------------
Boston College
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
Syracuse
Temple
Virginia Tech
West Virginia
South Division
---------------
East Carolina
Florida State
Louisville
Memphis
Miami
South Carolina
Southern Miss
Tulane
South Carolina's decision to join the SEC, along with some infighting in the Virginia legislature over whether Virginia Tech and VCU should be in separate conferences, caused the proposed Metro Conference to fall apart.
And while college football fans of today might dismiss this - consider that Miami was the perennial powerhouse program of the time, Louisville had just thrashed Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl and Florida State was building its program. Even Southern Miss had a young Brett Favre and was a draw.
Raycom Media was behind this proposal, and had the Metro Conference come to past, the SEC would not be where it is today.
After South Carolina decided to join the SEC, Miami and most of the proposed North division formed the Big East football conference, Florida State went to the ACC, and the leftovers formed Conference USA.
The remaining Conference USA schools were so pissed at South Carolina for screwing this up that they did not allow the Gamecocks to compete in Conference USA men's soccer as originally planned.
Thanks, South Carolina! Another reason that 1992 Expansion > 2012 Expansion.
This post was edited on 8/26/14 at 11:44 am
5
Posted on 8/26/14 at 11:43 am to anc
quote:the SEC network and the money your school will receive from it disagrees
1992 Expansion > 2012 Expansion.
Posted on 8/26/14 at 11:44 am to anc
I'm missing the part where people are supposed to enlighten you as to something. 
Posted on 8/26/14 at 11:44 am to anc
Your welcome
Posted on 8/26/14 at 11:45 am to therick711
quote:
I'm missing the part where people are supposed to enlighten you as to something.
Just wanted to know old South Carolina thoughts on this. If you look at college sports landscape through the lens of 1990 vs. 2014, this was a major decision that most thought South Carolina was wrong on.
It obviously worked out in hindsight.
Posted on 8/26/14 at 11:49 am to anc
I don't know what we are supposed to enlighten you on. We rich now, it's all good.
Posted on 8/26/14 at 11:53 am to anc
quote:
Just wanted to know old South Carolina thoughts on this. If you look at college sports landscape through the lens of 1990 vs. 2014, this was a major decision that most thought South Carolina was wrong on.
It obviously worked out in hindsight.
So your saying we had a chance to be in Clemson's shoes right now and we passed it up? What were we thinking!!!
Posted on 8/26/14 at 12:02 pm to Loathor
quote:
So your saying we had a chance to be in Clemson's shoes right now and we passed it up? What were we thinking!!!
Hindsight. According to this historian, it was like Central Florida chose the ACC of today over the SEC of today.
Power was in the Big 8 and Big 10. SEC couldn't hang with those two conferences then. This proposed Metro Conference would have been the SEC of today then.
Posted on 8/26/14 at 12:12 pm to anc
There's not a single school in that conference I would want to visit with the exception of maybe Miami or VT.
Posted on 8/26/14 at 12:54 pm to Mootsman
Isn't there still an effective ban between Miami and us ever playing a regular season football game again? Or has that been lifted?
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