DEKALB, Ill. — Northern Illinois football coach Thomas Hammock can’t forget the date — Sept. 7 — that the Huskies stunned College Football Playoff semifinalist Notre Dame in its home opener. But Tuesday was an even better day for the university’s football program, Hammock said at a news conference after the school’s board of trustees unanimously approved a $2 million fee for the Huskies to compete in the Mountain West Conference beginning in the 2026 season. College football has been in a state of flux in recent years. NIU athletic...

The Mountain West Conference continues to remake itself, announcing today that Northern Illinois is joining the league as a football-only member for the 2026 season. The league’s lineup will additionally include UNLV, UNR, Air Force, Hawaii, New Mexico, San Jose State, UTEP and Wyoming. “In evaluating Northern Illinois, 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,” league Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement.

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 Huskies will officially join the Mountain West as a football-only school beginning with the 2026 season, the conference announced on Tuesday. According to a press release, there will be a total of nine teams in the conference for that season, with Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, UTEP and Wyoming joining the Huskies in the conference. “This...

Northern Illinois will join the Mountain West as a football-only member in 2026, the school and conference announced Tuesday. "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 T. Frazier said in a statement. In addition to NIU, the Mountain West will include Air Force, Hawai'i, UNLV, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State and Wyoming in 2026. The move is another...

Northern Illinois will join the Mountain West as a football-only member in July 2026, following approval of the $2 million membership fee from its board of trustees on Tuesday. “Get ready, Mountain West,” board of trustees member Dennis Barsema said to close the unanimous vote. “The NIU football Huskies are coming in 2026.” The move will see NIU football leave the Mid-American Conference for a league whose current easternmost member is located in Colorado Springs, Colo., while NIU’s other sports are expected to move to another Midwest-based conference yet to...