There were two pieces of college sports realignment news for Monday, February 24, 2025, starting with Brett McMurphy reporting that the Northern Illinois Huskies (DeKalb, Illinois) will move their non-football sports to the Horizon League. The move would be effective with the 2026-27 academic year. NIU previously announced its football team will join the Mountain West in 2026 but did not announce where its other sports would play. NIU’s Board of Trustees is expected to approve the move to the Horizon League on Thursday, February 27. The Horizon League has a $1.4 million entrance fee while NIU previously approved a $2 million entrance fee in early January 2025 for football to join the Mountain West.

The Horizon League will expand to 12 full members in 2026-27 with the addition of NIU. The Horizon expanded several times between 2013 and 2020 with Oakland joining in 2013, Northern Kentucky in 2015, IU Indy in 2017, and the duo of Fort Wayne and Robert Morris in 2020. With NIU joining, 10 of the 12 members are public schools with Detroit Mercy and Robert Morris private institutions. Matt Brown of Extra Points says that the Horizon League may not be done adding teams

Not every NIU sports team will move due to some sports not being sponsored by the Horizon League. Men’s wrestling and women’s gymnastics compete in the MAC but the Horizon doesn’t sponsor either sport. NIU has already applied for both sports to remain in the MAC as affiliate members. NIU’s men’s soccer team currently competes in the Missouri Valley Conference, as the MAC doesn’t sponsor the sport, and is also joining the Horizon League.

In terms of impacts on the MAC, men’s tennis will be down to five members (4 MAC teams and UIC as an affiliate). NIU doesn’t sponsor men’s track & field leaving the MAC at 5 for men’s indoor and 6 for men’s outdoor with Massachusetts joining in 2025. No other sports will be at the minimum of 6 when NIU departs, assuming no further full membership changes for the MAC. NIU joining the Horizon will boost the conference’s baseball membership to 7 teams. All of the Horizon League’s other sponsored sports will each have 7 or more members.

Hawaii’s Mountain West Membership Agreement

The other realignment-related news was that the University of Hawai’i provided a copy of its membership agreement with the Mountain West following a public records request. To no one’s surprise, the financial figures were heavily redacted just as in the UC Davis and Northern Illinois agreements. While no figures were provided, some additional information was provided in the redacted document including:

• Hawaii will pay a penalty of $750,000 if it does not join the conference on July 1, 2026.

• Hawaii will not pay an entrance fee to the Mountain West Conference.

• The MW will pay a portion of Hawaii’s exit fee from the Big West Conference (the specific amount was redacted).

• Hawaii will receive a full share of the MW’s revenue in its first year in 2026-27.

• Hawaii will not pay any travel subsidies for sports other than football.

• Hawaii will only pay football subsidies in 2026 and 2027 with one (redacted) amount to California-based members and another (redacted) amount to non-California members.

• Hawaii will not pay any travel subsidies in football after the 2027 season.

• Hawaii will receive an “incentive payment” according to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The incentive payment amount was redacted.

• Hawaii will pay an annual due. The estimated amount was redacted.

• Hawaii will be required to have its new stadium completed no later than June 30, 2032.

• Hawaii’s basketball budget will increase by the start of the 2026-27 season (amount redacted).