REPORT: Northern Illinois Football Joining Mountain West Conference For 2026 Season

G5 Football Daily Staff | Jan 3, 2025

Sep 17, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies helmet during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Soldier Field. Wisconsin defeated Illinois 49-7. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

After spending 28 years as members of the Mid-American Conference, Northern Illinois are set to join the Mountain Wet Conference as conference realignment continues to take shape in college football.

Per Brett McMurphy of Action Netwwork, NIU’s Board of Trustees are expected to accept an offer to joint the MWC as football-only members, starting in 2026.

In an agenda for an NIU board meeting shared by Bryan Fischer on SI, Northern Illinois says that it expects for the conference change to be more than lucrative enough to offset the membership fee:

"The costs to support the transition to the (Mountain West), including travel, staffing, rebranding, and exit fees will be primarily offset by increased revenues from multimedia rights, revenue distributions, and guarantees from the conference as well as anticipated enhancements in revenue from ticket sales and donations. After admission to the MWC, a ramp-up period of one year is anticipated before revenues fully reach projected levels. The university does not plan to use existing institutional funds to support the transition," it said.

The Huskies’ move to the Mountain West comes as the conference saw several programs announce their intention to leave the conference in time for the 2026 season.

San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State, and Fresno State are going from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 for football in 2026.

Northern Illinois have enjoyed success as members of the MAC over the last half decade. Current NIU head coach Thomas Hammock has led the program to three bowl appearances during his six seasons, including back-to-back appearances over the last two seasons. Northern Illinois has gone 27-25 over the last four years, which include three bowl berths.

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