Northern Illinois University (NIU) will join the Mountain West Conference in 2026, it was announced Tuesday.
NIU will officially join the Mountain West on July 1, 2026 and will compete in the conference as a football-only member. The Huskies’ remaining sports will either remain in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) or will move to another conference in the future.
“This is a truly exciting day for Northern Illinois University, for the NIU football program and for Huskie fans throughout the country,” said NIU President Lisa C. Freeman. “We are extremely pleased to accept the invitation for the Huskie football program to join a prestigious group of universities to compete in the Mountain West Conference. This move will open new opportunities for our student-athletes, expand the reach and strengthen the national brand of Huskie Football as they represent NIU and compete for championships the hard way, and the right way.”
The addition of NIU will bring the rebuilding Mountain West’s membership roster up to nine football-playing schools. NIU (football only) will join Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, UTEP, and Wyoming.
“What a great opportunity for NIU Athletics as we expand our horizons, adapt to this new national model of college athletics and prepare to start a new chapter in the history of NIU Football,” said Sean T. Frazier, NIU Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation. “We are grateful to Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez and the membership of the Mountain West Conference for this invitation and to NIU President Lisa Freeman for her support as we navigated this process. The impact of this move to the Mountain West is going to be felt throughout our entire department and university. Our fans are going to enjoy the heightened competition, the media coverage and the additional opportunities the relationship with this conference and these great institutions provides.”
NIU has played in the MAC since 1997 and has won six conference championships and played in 15 FBS bowl games.
“We are excited about adding the Northern Illinois University football program to the Mountain West,” said MW Commissioner Gloria Nevarez. “In evaluating NIU, the MW Board of Directors and Directors of Athletics carefully considered and were impressed by its history of football success and its commitment to academic excellence. NIU shares the Mountain West’s vision of balancing academic performance with athletic competitiveness and prioritizing opportunities for an outstanding student-athlete experience both on and off the playing field.”