Will moving to the Mountain West help NIU?
Here's one personal memory of covering Northern Illinois University football.
The school introduced new head coach Joe Novak during winter break in 1995, so the campus was deserted. But inside the Sky Room, at the top of the tallest building in DeKalb, was a packed house of enthusiastic supporters.
The slogan of the day was “Back to the MAC with Novak.” After an 11-year run as either an independent or Big West member, NIU also announced it was headed back to the Mid-American Conference.
As it turned out, Novak actually did turn the program around, laying the foundation for multiple MAC championships and a trip to the Orange Bowl after the 2012 season.
On Tuesday, the theme was “Retract the MAC” as school officials formally announced plans to join the Mountain West Conference for football only. The other sports will join a Midwestern conference to be named later. The Horizon League makes the most sense, but that part of the plan is still in limbo.
NIU’s football program will spend one more season in the MAC, then move to the Mountain West in 2026.
“As good as Sept. 7 was, today is even better, because there's a path forward,” football coach Thomas Hammock said, referring to the Huskies' victory at Notre Dame. “What a great opportunity this is. Everybody involved is excited.”
The obvious question is, how will this conference change benefit the football team and university?
The short answer is it means more television revenue, which should help elevate the program. Athletic director Sean Frazier declined to answer when asked what share of conference revenues NIU agreed to, or if there was a “signing bonus” involved in the transaction.
The actual value of the next television contract is difficult to judge, because NIU isn't joining the familiar Mountain West. Five teams left to join the reconfigured Pac-12 (Pac-7, technically). NIU is one of two new teams, so the current Mountain West includes Wyoming, Air Force, New Mexico, San Jose State, Hawaii, UNLV, Nevada and UTEP. Cal-Davis is joining the MWC, but its football team is staying in FCS for now.
A neighborhood rival would be nice. Maybe Illinois State could make the move to FBS someday, but that feels like a long way off.
No matter the conference or opponents, what Northern Illinois needs more than anything right now is the fans to come back. Two weeks after beating Notre Dame, NU drew 18,688 for a loss to Buffalo. That was the largest crowd at Huskie Stadium in 11 years, going back to Oct. 26, 2013 against Eastern Michigan, the last crowd above 20,000.
NIU used to average 20,000 per season, but that hasn't happened since 2013. The all-time attendance record was set in 2004 with a 27,052 average.
One benefit to the conference change is escaping MACtion. Weekday games on cold November nights are great for couch potatoes, not so good for spectators, who tend to stay away.
The other glaring need is a stadium renovation. Someone who has never walked from the seating area to the concourse on the home side of Huskie Stadium would be shocked at what's back there — sort of an open atrium of stairs and walkways. There's no easy access to restrooms and concession stands are limited, to put it mildly.
Asked if there are any plans to improve Huskie Stadium, Frazier basically said donations are welcome.
“We have those plans and would be happy to dust them off,” he said.
So the hope is this conference change and revenue increase will lead to better attendance and stadium improvements. But NIU, like any school these days, also has to find ways to be competitive with NIL.
Attendance might be a losing battle due to declining enrollment. Over the past 40 years, the student population at NIU peaked in 1987 and 2007. According to the school's own figures, undergraduate enrollment was 18,971 in 2007, then dropped to 11,349 this fall.
If anyone has visited NIU's campus and compared it to other MAC schools, the reality of Illinois government quickly sets in. While other states improve their campuses, Illinois spends money on pensions.
If moving to the Mountain West is about elevating the football program to a higher level, that sounds great. If it's more of a desperation move to plug holes in the budget, it might turn out worse than the first time the Huskies bolted from the MAC.
At least the old Big West rivalry with San Jose State is back on.