FBS Conference Shuffling

[ST_Lawson]

Would the MAC allow Northern Illinois to stay as a non-Football member ???

 

A bit of follow-up to this (NIU to MWC)...
The MWC TV contract is in the range of $4 million/year (per school that isn't Boise...they get a bonus) and the MAC TV contract is like $800k/year (per school), so they'd be getting a pretty big jump in TV contract money.

Regarding conference affiliation, I've been digging around the NIU forum and it sounds like most people there are thinking they'd move non-football sports to the Horizon, maybe the MVC if they could get an invite, and I saw one mention of the OVC (which would be fun). I think the Horizon would be the most likely, as they are centered mostly around the great lakes region, and the Horizon might be interested in expanding their Chicago-area presence after losing Loyola in 2013, Valpo in 2017, and UIC in 2022 (and NIU was in the Horizon from 1994-1997). Horizon would also give them fairly close opponents like Green Bay and Milwaukee.

[ST_Lawson]

Would the MAC allow Northern Illinois to stay as a non-Football member ???

 

More follow-up on this, it sounds like NIU to the MWC in football is highly likely with an announcement in the next day or two. They are/were spending a few days figuring out where the other sports will be going, with the strongest likelihood being the Horizon. They've received invites from the Horizon, OVC, and Summit League.

[sealhall74]

Would the MAC allow Northern Illinois to stay as a non-Football member ???



 

More follow-up on this, it sounds like NIU to the MWC in football is highly likely with an announcement in the next day or two. They are/were spending a few days figuring out where the other sports will be going, with the strongest likelihood being the Horizon. They've received invites from the Horizon, OVC, and Summit League.


 

MVC would be a better fit than any of those conferences from a geographical perspective. Potential in-state rivals galore.
 

[ST_Lawson]

MVC would be a better fit than any of those conferences from a geographical perspective. Potential in-state rivals galore.
 

Geographically, yes, but I can pretty much 99% guarantee that the MVC is not at all interested. The last time NIU made the NCAA tournament in men's basketball was in 1996 (lost in the first round), it's been 5 years since they had a winning season, and they averaged 902 spectators at their home games last year (MVC average was is 3,634).

MVC teams also spend around 2-3 times what NIU does on basketball, which is 90% of what the MVC is looking for in a team. The MVC already got burned by a team promising they'd bring up their basketball funding and didn't (Valpo), they're not likely to take a chance on another team to do that.

For 2022, NIU spent about $1.2 million on basketball. ILSU spent $2.8 million, SIUC was at $2.6 million, and UIC was at $2.8 million.
For comparison, in the same metric, WIU spent $1.1 million, EIU spent $1.2 million, and SIUE was $1.4 million.
Horizon League spends closer to the MVC range than the OVC range, but is less picky about spending than the MVC is.

[Western_101]

Official, NIU football to join Mountain West. 

I guess this is kinda a big deal. The move being just football makes sense (well, nothing actually makes sense anymore). I wonder how much of a boost their brand got by knocking off a Notre Dame team that is still in the running for a National Championship (the big one).

https://northernstar.info/121515/sports ... ly-member/

[Western_101]

I would think the MAC might be interested in back filling with ISU. The Missouri Valley, (albeit, heads and shoulders better than the OVC) seems to be stuck as a perennial one bid league come March. 

We all know that football "drives the bus".  Missouri State is setting up shop now in an FBS league. I would think that ISU would want a seat at the FBS table and it looks like there is an opening. 

Western shoulda capitalized on all it's football success in the late 90s and early aughts by upgrading facilities. We know who the AD was, nuff said.

[leatherneckcountry]

NIU officially to the MW for Football 

[ST_Lawson]

Not surprisingly, NIU will be joining the Horizon League for most of their non-football sports. Horizon doesn't offer wrestling or gymnastics though, so they may have to be independent or something.

As a reminder, here's what the Horizon looks like before the NIU addition:

[wiu712]

NIU has applied for its Gymnastics and Wrestling programs to remain as affiliate members in the MAC – as the Horizon does not sponsor either sport.
 

[ST_Lawson]

Here's the official release from NIU: https://niuhuskies.com/news/2025/2/27/g ... 26-27.aspx