Look, somehow, some way, I’m at the Conference USA Media Days. We’ll get to that in a bit. Maybe a travel blog or something. I’ve been up since 5 a.m. I drove a few hours to get here. I don’t miss traffic in major metropolitan areas.

Anyway. We’re not here to discuss my travel stories (at least not in this blog).

We’re here to talk about Judy MacLeod’s thoughts on the current state of college football. And at the 2026 edition of the Conference USA media Days, it really seems like the commissioner for CUSA is doing everything she can to keep things moving forward in the midst of plenty of turmoil across the sport.

“As everybody’s aware, it’s hard when people ask, ‘How are you doing?’ I’m not even sure what the answer should be anymore,” MacLeod mentioned in her opening remarks during her press conference. “There’s a lot of chaos in college athletics. We can throw up our hands and say we can’t do anything about it or we can choose to embrace the change and figure out where we fit, where we can excel, and work to make things better.”

Plenty of chaos and plenty of opportunity for CUSA conference collaboration

MacLeod certainly seems invested in the way her conference is operating while trying to navigate this situation. And it’s true that the situation is far from ideal, but she really seems to appreciate the folks that she gets to work with on this front.

“I’m very fortunate to work with a group of schools that are doing exactly that,” MacLeod continued. “They have a commitment individually and collectively. As a group, they have alignment on their campuses. They’re not afraid to try new things. We’re just trying to do the best that we can, and to figure out where we can excel.”

Right now, it seems like that sort of collaborative efforts is rare. And so, it’s fascinating to see how this often overlooked conference is apparently working together to try to figure out the best sort of model for moving forward.

“So I’ve been asked numerous times: how do we create a sustainable model? It’s no secret that college sports has a governance issue,” CUSA’s commissioner said. “Different state laws, court rulings — everything that happens creates an administrative whiplash for institutions, our student-athletes, our fans.”

But, even in the midst of that whiplash is a sort of progress. MacLeod seems encouraged by some of the recent momentum that is present from policymakers on this front.

“I do think the recently passed age-based eligibility model is a start.”

How does MacLeod feel about some schools and conferences throwing their weight around?

Well… It really seems like she’s not thoroughly amused with the way some entities are operating at the moment.

“I also believe — the NCAA takes a lot of criticism, and we don’t agree with everything that comes out from the NCAA, but the NCAA is a membership organization. And it is really frustrating when we pass legislation, and then, if it doesn’t fit a certain school, whatever’s going on at that particular place, it is challenged,” MacLeod leveled.

To be completely transparent, I love that sort of statement. And I wish more leaders would continue to lean into that sort of openness on their feelings with this situation.

“Some of those schools voted for the legislation. Some of those conferences voted for it, but ‘it doesn’t fit my situation, so now I’m just going to challenge it.’ It’s frustrating,” MacLeod explained.