COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (KOLO) - Northern Illinois University will be joining the Mountain West Conference as a football only member in 2026. The announcement was made Tuesday amid a shakeup in the conference, which saw the addition of UTEP and UC Davis to its ranks.

Northern Illinois has announced a conference switch to leave the MAC and join the Mountain West as a football-only member in 2026.

Northern Illinois has accepted an invitation to join the Mountain ... The Huskies will go from the Midwest-based MAC to a conference in which the easternmost school is in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They will join Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico ...

The conference will expand to the Central Time Zone as it welcomed Northern Illinois as a football-only member on Tuesday. The Huskies, whose Board of Regents voted to accept an invitation that comes with a $2 million entry fee, will officially join the Mountain West on July 1, 2026.

Northern Illinois has accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West for football only in 2026, the school and conference announced Tuesday. The Huskies will go from the Midwest-based MAC to a conference in which the easternmost school is in Colorado Springs,

Northern Illinois has accepted an invitation ... Conference to a league in which the easternmost school is in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They will join Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico ...

All in all, what do you think about this season, taking into account Sunday's loss but all the other games, too?

The nonpartisan Milken Institute, a California-based think tank, tabbed Colorado Springs as the fifth highest ranked large metro area in its Best-Performing Cities report for 2025, which ranks the economic vitality of more than 400 cities nationwide.

Greeley, Colorado; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Northern Colorado will try to keep its three-game home win streak intact when the Bears face Portland State. The Bears are 7-1 on their home court.

Known as the Karman Line Annexation, it would connect a large parcel designated for about 6,500 homes and mixed use development to the city via a thin strip of land.

The Federal Trade Commission is accusing Deere & Co. of unfairly monopolizing the farm-equipment repair market.

Montana Grizzlies (5-9, 1-2 Big Sky) at Northern Colorado Bears (7-7, 0-3 Big Sky) Greeley, Colorado; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Northern Colorado takes on Montana after London Gamble ...