Northern Illinois University may join the Mountain West Conference for football in 2026, paying a $2M fee. Northern Illinois University puede unirse a la Mountain West Conference para el fútbol en 2026, pagando una cuota de $2M.

Northern Illinois University's board will vote on joining the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member starting in 2026, paying a $2 million fee. La junta directiva de Northern Illinois University votará para unirse a la Mountain West Conference como miembro de fútbol a partir de 2026, pagando una cuota de $2 millones. This move follows NIU's strong performance in the Mid-American Conference and seeks to benefit from the Mountain West's more lucrative TV deal. Este movimiento sigue el fuerte desempeño de NIU en la Conferencia de Mid-American y busca beneficiarse del más lucrativo acuerdo de TV de Mountain West. The shift, if approved, would reunite NIU with former Big West Conference members and mark the first full MAC member departure since 2005. El cambio, de ser aprobado, reuniría a NIU con antiguos miembros de la Conferencia Big West y marcaría la primera salida de miembro de la MAC desde 2005.