The Mountain West Conference officially added Northern Illinois as a football-only member starting in 2026, the conference and NIU announced on Tuesday.

NIU, a member of the Mid-American Conference, is joining the MWC as a football-only member. It gives the MWC nine football-playing members in its rebuild from losing five programs to the Pac-12 in the last year.

The MWC’s football members for 2026 are: Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, San Jose State, UNLV, UTEP and Wyoming.

That format allows for an eight-game conference schedule wherein each member plays all other members every year.

NIU, in DeKalb, Ill., has been a competitive mid-major in the 21^st century. The Huskies have five MAC championships and 11 bowl appearances over the last 15 years, including a BCS Bowl, the Orange Bowl, in 2013. NIU's on-campus Huskie Stadium seats nearly 30,000.

UH and NIU have never played in football.

"We are excited about adding the Northern Illinois University football program to the Mountain West," Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement. "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. NIU shares the Mountain West's vision of balancing academic performance with athletic competitiveness and prioritizing opportunities for an outstanding student-athlete experience both on and off the playing field."

In reasoning for its move, NIU cited rapid changes in the college football landscape and trends like NIL and the forthcoming NCAA House settlement for schools to be able to directly pay student-athletes.

What will happen to NIU’s other programs is to be determined.

“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,” NIU Athletics posted in a Q&A about its move. “There are multiple options available to us with several of the regionally based multi-sport conferences, including continuing discussions with the MAC.”

The Mountain West has 10 members for most of its non-football sports for the 2026-27 athletic year, including non-football members Grand Canyon and UC Davis.

In October, UH gained full membership to the MWC for 2026 while eliminating future travel subsidies for opponents. UH has been a football-only member of the MWC since 2012.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.