Conference USA has named Judy MacLeod as interim Conference Director. MacLeod joined CUSA in 2005 as assistant to then CUSA Commish Britton Banowsky. Banowsky is expected to officially step down as conference head in Sept or October of this year and take the reigns of the College Football Playoff Philanthropy.
ODU President and Chair of the Conference USA Board announced that the league will continue to look for a permeant leader in the months to come. MacLeod becomes the first woman to head a FBS Conference. MacLeod has an excellent reputation in the sports world and is a front runner to become the permeant CUSA Commish.
A few weeks ago I published a "to do" list for the new CUSA Commish. I am going to republish the list in case Judy is looking for jump start to her Tuesday morning. Stay Tuned:
CUSA TO DO LIST
With Britton Banowksy stepping down as Conference USA leader in October the league will have to hire a new Commissioner in the coming months. With this in mind, here are 4 agenda items the new CUSA Commissioner should begin to address from day 1 on the job:
1. TV CONTRACT: With rumors that the Conference USA tv contract is not receiving the financial numbers it wants, the new Commish will have to convince TV partners that CUSA is worth a monetary investment that puts it ahead of the Sun Belt and MAC.
2. INCREASE FOOTBALL ATTENDANCE: While CUSA is not at the bottom of football attendance, it is darn close. Tv partners are increasingly under financial pressure from changing cable tv habits. This means they are becoming choosier about how and who they spend their money on especially as it concerns non power leagues. No TV exec wants to see an empty stadium on Saturday afternoon, especially in HD. Schools like FIU FIU Fan Issues, FAU and RICE to name a few, need extra work in getting fans on board with their sports product.
3. MERGE WITH THE SUN BELT: Britton Banowsky was a big proponent of the use of scale to reduce costs and create efficiencies . The new CUSA Commissioner should start negotiations with the Sun Belt for a full merger and create divisions based on geographic lines and interest. If tv financial numbers prove to be as low as many expect them to be , then there will be little reason for CUSA to set itself apart from the Sun Belt. A combined league would solve many travel problems and help create regional rivalries that fans actually care about seeing.
4. CREATE THE BEST DIGITAL NETWORK IN COLLEGE SPORTS: Cable tv is changing rapidly. No one really knows how sports will be broadcast in the next two decades. Instead of waiting for the tv networks to sort things out, why not use existing technology and take control away from the unknown. CUSA should endeavor to create the best digital network in all of College Sports.
Use the guaranteed revenue from the College Football Playoff and cut the cord from traditional tv contract providers. At the very least create a combination of the two. Much like what has happened in the airline industry in the last 15 years, there will be few "legacy" conferences left standing in the next 15 years. The Gang of 5 Conferences are going have to evolve into what amounts to no frills airline companies and find leaner and meaner ways of functioning. By creating a world class digital network CUSA can sell and keep its own ad revenue, distribute product on its own terms and keep fans happy with consistent high quality broadcasts. Stay tuned.
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