Back in the summer 2022, NIU Director of Athletics Sean Frazier was in his car when the news struck.USC and UCLA were going to spurn the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten. Frazier called a friend of his who works in the Big Ten about the bombshell report.

The university officially announced it would join the Mountain West Conference in a football-only capacity starting in 2026. The move puts the Mountain West Conference at nine teams: NIU, Air Force, Grand Canyon, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, UTEP and Wyoming.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (KOLO) - Northern Illinois University will be joining the Mountain West Conference as a football only member in 2026. The announcement was made Tuesday amid a shakeup in the conference, which saw the addition of UTEP and UC Davis to its ranks.

Northern Illinois University’s Board of Trustees approved a football-only move from the Mid-American Conference, or MAC, to the Mountain West Conference. Peter Medlin

The Huskies will go from the MAC to a league in which the easternmost school is in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Northern Illinois University’s Board of Trustees are holding a special meeting this afternoon and are expected to approve the $2 million membership fee for the school’s football team to move to the Mountain West Conference.

The Mountain West Conference will have nine football-playing members for the 2026 season.  Northern Illinois was officially introduced as the latest member of t

Northern Illinois University’s Board of Trustees will vote on whether NIU's football team will leave the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Peter Medlin

Northern Illinois confirmed on Tuesday that it is joining the Mountain West in 2026 as a football-only member.