NIU Says Mountain West Hasn't Made Formal Offer amid Conference Realignment Rumors

Northern Illinois says it has not yet received a "formal offer" to leave the Mid-American Conference for the Mountain West, but "appreciates" the reported interest in its program.

Action Network's Brett McMurphy reported on Thursday that the Mountain West had notified the MAC of interest in adding Northern Illinois and Toledo as football-only members ahead of the 2026 season.

"Conference realignment is a highly dynamic situation, and NIU appreciates the interest in our strong brand and proven commitment to the success of our student athletes," Northern Illinois said in a statement published by the Associated Press. "At this time, we have not received a formal offer to consider a change."

The Mountain West announced on Thursday that Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, Wyoming and football-only member Hawaii will remain after five former conference schools departed for the Pac-12.

Departing schools included Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State.

In order to qualify for NCAA minimum requirements, the Mountain West will need eight full members. That will require the addition of two full members by 2028, the AP noted.

The potential additions of NIU and Toledo would not help the Mountain West meet that standard, so the league's expansion efforts would need to continue even if it does decide to pursue the MAC schools.

ESPN's Pete Thamel recently reported that the Mountain West could consider Sun Belt program Texas State as one of these additional full members.

The Mid-American Conference currently contains 12 members, including NIU and Toledo alongside Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green State, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami, Ohio and Western Michigan. UMass Amherst is set to join the conference in 2025.

The MAC has remained largely unchanged, excepting the addition of UMass, amid the ongoing seismic changes in conference alignment, remaining a conference mainly populated by schools located in Ohio and Michigan.

The Mountain West's attempts to recover from the exodus of its former members for the Pac-12, on the other hand, has led the conference to reportedly pursue to schools well to the east of the Mountain Time Zone.

It remains to be seen if the Mountain West will make a formal offer to NIU. If Northern Illinois accepts the swap, college athletics programs could be set for even more travel in the coming years as conferences continue to expand their geographical reach.