Mountain West looking to add NIU/Toledo

[ColoradoEagle]

 

 

[wardly]

Seems like a reach.

[Billy Clyde]

Both very good football programs.

[NM Green]

This would be very good for the Mountain West to actually expand its footprint. And nobody’s been able to disrupt the Mac. Interesting development.

Mountain West might look very different soon.

Beat Tulsa 

GMG

[ColoradoEagle]

If those two are in play, I hope the AAC is also on the phone. NIU has produced some good football upsets for years now, and Toledo has been generally higher end in basketball. Full member in AAC maybe vs. football only in MWC?

[wardly]

I would be surprised if the MAC schools joins the MWC for football only ,but hey, who knows. However their inclusion in football only, identical to Hawaii, does not get the MWC to 8 all sports programs which is required by the NCAA to have a conference. In business you start out doing what what you want to do but sometimes end up doing what you have to do.UTEP and NMSU may be ugly but I bet they might look better at closing time.

[rws69]

I find it somewhat ironic that both PAC and MWC currently have seven commitments each for 2026. Both need to find team eight somewhere else.

[wardly]

Toledo not interested as per recent podcast. NIU thinking about it for football only moving all other sports to the MVC. However the recent post listing athletic budgets only showed theirs at $21 million so I don't know if they can afford the travel expenses. Having said that they probably are not getting much media money from the MAC and the increase to $4 or $5 million might look good to them. Who knows?

[MCMLXXX]

 

[NT80]

22 hours ago, MCMLXXX said:

 

Another huge reach for the MWC.  I think at this point they are just trying to block the PAC from adding an additional member they need.   

I was surprised to learn this tidbit from the past...

NIU previously left the MAC in 1986 and was a member of the Big West with Mountain West schools UNLV, Nevada and San Jose State from 1993-95.

[untbowler]

For FB only would be a good move by NIU, then either join Summit, Horizon League for other sports, save $$$