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Would SMU ever be interested in joining a new 12 team all-sports conference that would look like this?:

The new Metro Conference

**EAST DIVISION**
Cincinnati
East Carolina
Louisville
Memphis
South Florida
UAB

**WEST DIVISION**
Houston
SMU
Southern Mississippi
TCU
Tulane
Tulsa

Absolutely!!!!!!!!!

Is the Metro Conference a figment of you imagination or is it actually in the mix.

To me it looks like a CUSA/WAC deal.

It could only work if the financials were in place i.e. TV and numerous bowl births.
To me the east would dominate Basketball year in and year out. L'ville would be the strongest team in the conference overall. It could give us a chance to rebuild to the status of greatness...but the WAC was supposed to do that as well.

Move this post to the football section and let the debate roll.

If SMU were to have a winning season or two in football, that would be a no-brainer, as far as earning an invitation. (I haven't heard anything about such a proposal.)

As far as all sports - SMU might try to go in just football and basketball. Those schools would offer little competition, if any, in many of the non-revenue sports (soccer, swimming, tennis, etc) Not that it's a bad thing to pile up conference championships, but the coaches of our nationally-ranked teams will want to face better competition in the regular season. Ask George Van Linder - the women's soccer team racked up a gaudy record against the awful women's soccer teams in the WAC, and pulled a nice upset by knocking out Texas (HA!), but we got rolled by the other ranked teams we faced - Santa Clara, Stanford, Florida and Texas A&M in the NCAA's. He might go for such a conference. Most other non-revenue coaches would not.

Again, I don't know if this is reality. But I like the sound of it.

that's a "no-brainer" for SMU. I've heard the talk for years of a growing rift between the original CUSA bball schools and the others who are pushing for expansion to 12 schools in order to put together a football championship game.

I agree there could be a problem for "non-revenue" sports, but that problem exists with the WAC as well.