On Tuesday, Northern Illinois University’s Board of Trustees will vote on whether NIU’s football team will leave the Mid-American Conference, or MAC.
NIU accepted a football-only invitation to the Mountain West Conference. But the university needs board approval, because joining the conference costs a $2 million membership fee, payable in installments.
Board documents say costs to transition to the Mountain West will be “primarily” offset by an expected increase in revenue from things like multimedia rights and ticket sales. It says they do not plan to use existing institutional funds to pay for the transition.
Conference realignment has become common in college football and NIU says this gives them the opportunity not just to increase revenue, but also to grow its football brand.
If approved, the Huskies would join the Mountain West in 2026. It’s unclear, at this point, which conference NIU’s other sports would compete in.
