Northern Illinois: No official offer from Mountain West

Northern Illinois said Friday it had not received “a formal proposal to consider a change” in its conference but appreciated the “interest in our strong brand” being targeted by the school and fellow Mid-American Conference member Toledo Mountain. the west

Five of the 12 schools in the Mountain West decided to leave for the Pac-12, putting the Group of 5 conference in a position to add two schools to meet the NCAA’s requirement to have eight full members before 2028 because Hawaii is only a partial member. .

The Mountain West said Thursday that its seven remaining schools have agreed to stay with the conference. They are Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, Wyoming and Hawaii.

Schools leaving the conference for the Pac-12 in 2026 are Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Colorado State.

“Conference realignment is a very dynamic situation, and NIU appreciates our strong brand interest and proven commitment to the success of our student athletes,” Northern Illinois said in its statement. “At this time, we have not received a formal proposal to consider a change.”