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.

The Mountain West added a perennial contender from another conference as a football-only member, giving the league nine teams for the 2026 football season.

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.

The addition of Northern Illinois gives the Mountain West nine football members. With it comes the ability to play a full 8-game conference slate. It also expands the MW footprint into Illinois and the coveted Chicago market. NIU is located 65 miles west of Chicago and currently plays in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Northern Illinois has announced a conference switch to leave the MAC and join the Mountain West as a football-only member in 2026.

Northern Illinois’ board of trustees will meet Tuesday to discuss and vote on the acceptance of an invitation to join the Mountain West as a football-only member in 2026.

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

The university has accepted a formal offer to join the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member, effective July 1, 2026, subject to a vote.