Northern Illinois Heads West for Football Conference Again

Head Coach Thomas Hammock and quarterback Josh Holst #15 of the Northern Illinois Huskies toss potatoes to the team at the conclusion of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, on Dec. 23, 2024. Loren Orr/Getty Images

Northern Illinois has the Mountain West Conference joining the geography-busting trend in conference realignment, but it’s nothing new for the Huskies.

Northern Illinois will play football in the Mountain West, beginning in 2026 after a nearly 30-year stay in the Mid-American Conference. The Huskies once played in the Big West Conference from 1993 to 1996 before a return to the MAC in 1997.

“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,” NIU athletic director Sean Frazier said via a statement on Tuesday.

The Mountain West came calling amid its own changes in the coming years with the departure of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State for the Pac-12 in 2026. The Huskies will compete with the remaining Mountain West teams in the Air Force, Hawaii, New Mexico State, Nevada, San Jose State, UNLV, and Wyoming.

When NIU competed in the Big West, the Huskies had frequent trips west against the likes of Boise State, Fresno State, and UNLV. The Huskies will rejoin old conference opponents such as Nevada and San Jose State.

While Huskies football will go west again, conference affiliation for other sports remains in question. NIU could either keep other sports in the MAC or try another conference as the Huskies have a full slate of sports from men’s and women’s basketball to tennis for both genders.

“NIU is committed to making the best decision for all student-athletes and programs moving forward,” the school’s statement read. “We are in the MAC for the next 18 months and we’re going to take our time, and actively review all of the options. There are multiple options available to us with several of the regionally based multi-sport conferences, including continuing discussions with the MAC.”

The Huskies will be the lone football-only team in the Mountain West but not the only sport-specific team in the league. The Mountain West will add Grand Canyon and UC Davis for all sports except football as one GCU doesn’t have the sport and the Aggies will stay in the FCS for football.

“We are excited about adding Northern Illinois football to the Mountain West,” conference commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement on Tuesday. “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.”

The Mountain West is far from the only conference to add a team out of its region. In 2022, the ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12 added former Pac-12 teams when the conference dwindled.