The Northern Illinois Huskies' football program is officially joining the Mountain West Conference for the 2026 season. NIU's board of trustees approved the MWC

The Mountain West has been rebuilding since Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State agreed to join the Pac-12.

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

All of the changes we’re seeing in college football from conference realignments to the transfer portal and NIL has forced Northern Illinois University to make a move to keep up or to stay a step ahead.

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.

The Northern Illinois Huskies’ football team will be joining the Mountain West Conference, leaving the Mid-American Conference that it had been a member of for nearly 30 years.

DEKALB (WREX) — Northern Illinois University has accepted an invitation for the Huskies to join the Mountain West Conference as a football only member beginning in 2026, NIU and the Mountain West announced Tuesday. The announcement came following a meeting of the NIU Board of Trustees.

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

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