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

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