ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Another football program is set to join the Mountain West. The conference announced on Tuesday that Northern Illinois (NIU) will join the league as a football-only addition on July 1, 2026. NIU comes to the Mountain West from the MAC. Over the last 15 seasons, the Huskies have racked up five conference championships and 11 winning seasons. During that span, NIU ranks in the top 30 nationally for wins by an FBS program. With the addition of NIU, the Mountain West will feature a total of nine football teams in 2026. The list consists of Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, San Jose State, UNLV, UTEP and Wyoming.