I agree the football travel cost increase will be minimal and more than covered by the increased revenue. People don't seem to understand the MAC is not a "bus league" for NIU..
I'm down for the move. Grew up down the road from the stadium and I'm excited to see what this change will do for the school. They deserve better than what the MAC offers
Excellent video! I did want to note: 5:28 CBS Sports Network IS Nielsen rated, but granular data is not available for the general public. As for the weeknight MACtion games, as part of the deal, did any network give the conference $$$ to move the games? If not, this experiment, in the end, wasn't worth it for the school's bottom lines. I do agree with the other comment on the MVC as a possibility for other sports, but there may be no more room at the inn for the conference
As a UNLV fan, I absolutely luv the addition of NIU to the MW conf. For NIU....no more weekday games and you can focus on friday and saturday games which means better viewership and attendance and the money from the MW will benifit NIU. Also adding NIU gets the MW conf. in another time zone which is more exposure in TV and recruiting for everyone involved...also the additional exposure in your time zone will only enhance the media deal the MW conf. gets. BUT...I think the MW conf. should not stop with NIU. I would also luv to add schools like Sam Houston St. and Texas St. for even more exposure in related to tv and recruiting. If I'm not being too bold.....Welcome to the MW conf.
Sam Houston and Texas State already turned down the MWC. There are some other possible targets out there, just depends on where the MWC wants to go to get them.
The mountain west is now the second worst conference in the FBS. Only the Pac 7 is worse, just because they don't have an 8th school to make Pinocchio a real boy. The MW are literallly bottom feeders, the leftovers who didn't get invited to the cool kids' party. Now that UNLV lost it's rising star of a coach, they are back to being a transfer portal minor league like always. The next highest ranked team is #83 San Jose St. The media deal expires next yssr and ESPN is not gonna make an offfer. Even CBS Sports is out. NIU fans are going to realize very soon, just like Fresno State learned, that only 8 or 9 games will be televised--not all 12--because that's just life in the MWC.
@@MrProy33 LOL what are you even talking about. MWC > then the whack pac. Media deal will increase for the MWC, they will partner with Fox/CBS and TruTV, Navarez has excellent relationships and is making the necessary moves to not lose value.
Take away UNLV and the highest rated MW team is #83 San Jose St. Without Boise and Fresno, there is no Mountain West. All of the remaining MW teams have a losing record since the conference was formed. You can't even watch all 12 of a MW school's season games on TV because they don't televise every game. It was a dog of a conference before the good teams left, and it's ecen worse now.
Thanks for sharing. Not surprising considering NIU and its large alumni base predominantly located in Chicagoland area and NIU's dominance of the MAC in the 15 seasons. Looking forward to no more Tuesday/Wednesday games on ESPNU and building back our fanbase after 15+ years of ESPN destruction.
ESPn doesn't destroy programs unless your in a lowly conference like the mac. Considering how many people watch ESPN, you'll see that it is useful for programs like Michigan that are in the B1G.
Should also note in Spring 2008 there was the 2008 shooting which had an adverse affect on enrollment and attendance. I would also highlight the percentage of state budget NIU receives compared to University of Illinois.
I’d be very interested to see what those ratings for NIU looked like when they weren’t putting together double digit win seasons..I would suspect rankings hype was a contributing factor to them getting so much higher than the rest of the Mac. They were consistently at the top for such a long time
@D1 360 Do you have this spreadsheet for all conferences? If not, can you do this for the American and Sun Belt? Can this spreadsheet be made available for people to view? In anticipation that the Pac-12 will be looking at AAC and a particular Sun Belt program for its next round of expansion, I think it would be interesting to do the TV ratings analysis for those conferences. Another great video, appreciate your work.
Great video! I was wondering if you could do a video saying where NIU could go for non football sports. Also I am curious, who do you think are the D2 programs who could go up to D1? Especially with how we will definitely get more realignment for the PAC, CUSA, MWC, WAC, MAC, etc. coming at some point with all their situations.
I am am predicting NIU other sports go to "The Valley" (MVC). Loyola used to be there; UIC readily took the upgrade to the Valley from the Horizon as their Chicago market back fill. They are a Men's Soccer affiliate and three other Illinois public universities are there: UIC, Illinois State, and Southern Illinois
Ehhhh, I think that Nebraska will come through and survive the B1G. But Not having Penn State is a curse. Even with programs like Michigan Wisconsin, and Ohio State, they aren't full. There is a reason why they added Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, etc., as that is for profitable purposes for the fans and for the conference
This is an incredible overview. What a video - stark seeing the MAC commit so heavily to ESPN while ESPN continued to dump games off on tertiary or streaming channels. The MACtion deal was a disaster. Great, great video. Thanks for this.
@d1_360 Another great video. So this question is off topic. But do you think the Pac-12 has painted itself into a corner and may have serious problems finding that 8th and final FB member? The MWC & American mustve locked up their members with GoR and high penalty fees. Also you need to do a video of what you think conferences are gonna look like in 2026 after all these moves are done.
You think the Horizon would be better than the Missouri Valley for all other sports? I think for basketball, MVC makes more sense and better travel proximity than the Horizon. A move to the MVC would also rekindle rivalries with Bradley and SIU. Great video!
They already have presence in Chicago with Illinois Chicago. Unless the Huskies had a solid program, they see no point in adding them. Horizon wants to get back into the Chicago market after losing both their schools to the Valley. But you just never know with conference realignment
@@Adorkableguy The Missouri Valley used to be a power conference in basketball. They are still a solid mid major. The Horizon is just another of many low majors usually referred to as one bid conferences.
Good job NIU.. As a Toledo fan c1974 get out while you can.. Attendance numbers are horrible in the MAC.. I’ve seen Catholic high school games with more people. I could only wish Toledo to the MW conference…Not Happening 😞 Best of 🍀 Northern Illinois
Since no MAC school can average 20,000 per home football contest then TV money is extremely important to keep the programs afloat. There is a downside to playing on Tuesday or Wednesday true but there is also a big advantage that being no competition on those night. How will Saturday night games fare when let’s say NIU is playing at New Mexico on CBSSports when let’s say Arizona State is at BYU on Fox, Colorado at Kansas State on ESPN as well as UCLA hosting Michigan on ESPN II? You also will have the PAC 12 G5 games on Saturday nights maybe Boise State at San Diego Stats all in the 7:30p or 8:30p slot. Sorry Charlie but the MWC TV rating are going to stink, none of the teams can attract flies. 2025 TV Audience Ratings- 112th Wyoming, 96th Hawaii, 92nd Air Force, 88th Nevada, 87th New Mexico, 83rd UNLV, 63rd NIU,
I love the analysis on ticket revenue, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's parking, concessions, and most importantly, donations which I bet are all down along the same lines as ticket revenue. It really does make me understand why NIU would leave the MAC for the MWC.
Excellent analysis of TV and attendance issues--you should be an athletic director. Similarly, San Jose State is in a major metro region but carries next to no TV viewership or live fan base. NIU may have a little more support, but learn from SJSU--they have like 27k enrollment and alumni everywhere, but makes no real impact on sports. I think you are vastly overestimating those advantages. The weeknight games does suppress MAC attendance so it helps to actually play on Saturday. But figure that these official attendance figures are likely exaggerated by one third or more. Yes, their teams have been strong, but so has SJSU and there is no real tangible benefit to their conference. So, overall, NIU could very well be "San Jose State-Midwest" and not going to help the MWC much. But NIU is right to escape from the MAC--it is barely a G5 league.
Naiked it. SJSU has no fan or alumni support. Football is an afterthought. The real shock comes when NIU fans realize that tge MW doesb't televise every game, so they are onky gonna get to watch 8-9 games on TV, and their team will have no fan support for away ganes. It's why Fresno, Wyoming, and Colorado State always scheduled guaranteed losses into their schedule agaibst teams like Michigan and Alabama--they need the revenue and the TV exposure those teams offer because nobody watches when they play out of conference FCS teams like Sac State, Cal Poly, or Incarnate Word.
Well not just fans that attend the school go to the games. Other people outside the school as well attend. And it is on them to come and help bring in $$$ for NIU sports like football
@gs4395 That would be great, but that is not the reality for Mountain West games. They are for students, alumni, and mostly for local businesses to buy blocks of seats and advertise cheaply. MW games do not draw tourism dollars. The stadiums are mosty small and antiquated compared to those in competitive conferences. Most MW games do not sell out. I say this as a MW alum.
MTSU killed it. They want to be in a primarily southern-based conference. Once the Pac-12 finally adds an eighth football member (which must be an all-sports member), there may be an opening in the Sun Belt if the Pac-12 takes Texas State, or an opening in the American.
Western KY wanted to move but Middle TN wanted to stay in CUSA. And the MAC made the mistake of not taking the Hilltoppers. They wanted a packaged deal.
@@vamoscrucerosI would argue that MTSU hadn't really been good at football for a while. I would like for MtSU to go to rekindle the rivalries with Troy and Arkansas State
I guess the Horizon League would take them, but doesn't the Missouri Valley make more sense? Also, moving to the Mountain West seems like a lateral move in competition plus increased travel. I don't see an increase in CFP money from the move. TV money? OK, but are you really sure? However, if your fans support it, it's probably a good move. Finally, Dekalb really isn't Chicago, and I know you said "Chicago DMA", which is like saying that El Paso is Texas. Technically it is, but it sure isn't deep in the heart of Texas.
When most people talk about realignment they mean SEC and Big 10 expansion. There is no realignment. No one has left the SEC since the 1960s and no one has left the Big 10 since the 1930s and no one is about to leave eirher conference. As for the mid majors or the Group of 5 conferences they've been realigning for a 100 years. It's nothing new. Heavens the Mountain West not only do its members keep changing so does its name. It used to be the WAC and before that the Skyline. It was also the Border Conference
@gs4395 the Skyline Conference which consisted of Colorado State, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, BYU, and a couple of others changed its name to the Western Athletic Conference.
I don’t see the attendance rising to a MWC average, in one of the worst stadiums in all of college football. They need an up to date facility. Overall MAC attendance really sucks, the worst in G5.
I thought you used too many numbers and what happened in 1985 is irrelevant to 2025. What matters most is 1: Making the home games more available to fans, students and alumni. Which means no more weekday MAC home games which killed attendance.2: Increased TV revenue from the Mountain West’s media partners.
I dont think the problem with NIU's move to the MWC stems from people discounting how strong of an earner NIU is, or how poorly the MAC has mismanaged its portfolio of brands/programs. Instead, I don't understand how NIU thinks the 2026 MWC is such better landing spot than the MAC... The MWC is dead on its feet. It is a collection of programs that couldn't lure away the best teams from the AAC (a conference that was already raided of its best programs). NIU is leaving a conference in crisis to join a full on zombie conference. If you were to run these numbers for the MWC, 5 of the highest performing TV viewership teams are out the door and mostly the dregs remain. The only thing justifying the move to the MWC is their current media deal that was paying out $5 million per school; however, that deal expires in 2026. If NIU thinks the new MWC can negotiate a deal at-or-above that amount, I happen to have a bridge they might want to purchase. Meanwhile, the MAC just finalized a deal that will bring the per-school distribution to 2.5 million. So by the time NIU settles in to its new conference, the ground will have shifted under its feet and they may end up earning the same amount of per-team distribution as if they remained in the MAC. In fact, with the current state of CFB realignment, it would not be shocking for the schools that stayed/got left behind to hit the exit button the second they find out their next media deal is a downgrade and they cash the conference exit checks from the 5 schools that left for the PAC. I can't help but feel NIU is chasing a short term check, while risking long-term viability. How many of their future conferencemates will be in FBS football in 10 years?
MAC hasn't finalized anything. The MAC would be tooting it's horn and issuing a press release if they quadrupled their $800k per school media payout to $2.5 million. That's would also be more than double the SBC. ESPN isn't gonna pay the MAC that kind of money when 9 of the teams are in Ohio and Michigan.
No No No No No No No... First of all, there's no confirmation from ESPN or any other outlet that NIU is moving to the Mountain West and if they do, someone in DeKalb needs to have their heads examined. Now, if this rumor is true, NIU is going from a "bus league" with close rivals to a league there their nearest rival is literally in the next time zone and about 1K miles to the west. Terrible move.
@@twomasta Worst move of the entire college football realignment process. Just gives me more proof that the powers that be in any level of state government are brainless.
Hands down the best piece of information I have seen regarding the move. Really well done.
Great video showing why the move makes sense for NIU.
Very well done, had no idea that MACtion was killing them so bad. Makes sense on every level.
Always made sense to me. As a student I went to all of the Saturday games went to 0 of the weekday maction games.
I agree the football travel cost increase will be minimal and more than covered by the increased revenue. People don't seem to understand the MAC is not a "bus league" for NIU..
Very well thought out video. Thanks!
Fantastic video. NIU certainly made the right choice moving to the MWC. Attendance should skyrocket for them with games back on Friday/Saturday.
Thanks!
You are so generous! Thanks so much! Highly appreciated!
Another great D1 360 video!
I'm down for the move. Grew up down the road from the stadium and I'm excited to see what this change will do for the school. They deserve better than what the MAC offers
well the MAC isn't horrible. They probably better than the C-USA in terms of scheduling gamess
@gs4395 the MAC most certainly is better than C-USA. The MAC does not serve NIU which is why this is a good move
This was really well done sir thank you
Do a video predicting next conference realignment moves?
Excellent video! I did want to note: 5:28 CBS Sports Network IS Nielsen rated, but granular data is not available for the general public. As for the weeknight MACtion games, as part of the deal, did any network give the conference $$$ to move the games? If not, this experiment, in the end, wasn't worth it for the school's bottom lines. I do agree with the other comment on the MVC as a possibility for other sports, but there may be no more room at the inn for the conference
There is a vacancy in the MVC when Missouri State leaves for CUSA.
@@keithprivett3878Meh, NIu is going to stay probably
As a UNLV fan, I absolutely luv the addition of NIU to the MW conf. For NIU....no more weekday games and you can focus on friday and saturday games which means better viewership and attendance and the money from the MW will benifit NIU. Also adding NIU gets the MW conf. in another time zone which is more exposure in TV and recruiting for everyone involved...also the additional exposure in your time zone will only enhance the media deal the MW conf. gets. BUT...I think the MW conf. should not stop with NIU. I would also luv to add schools like Sam Houston St. and Texas St. for even more exposure in related to tv and recruiting. If I'm not being too bold.....Welcome to the MW conf.
It’s crazy how MAC fans don’t understand this
Sam Houston and Texas State already turned down the MWC. There are some other possible targets out there, just depends on where the MWC wants to go to get them.
The mountain west is now the second worst conference in the FBS. Only the Pac 7 is worse, just because they don't have an 8th school to make Pinocchio a real boy. The MW are literallly bottom feeders, the leftovers who didn't get invited to the cool kids' party.
Now that UNLV lost it's rising star of a coach, they are back to being a transfer portal minor league like always. The next highest ranked team is #83 San Jose St.
The media deal expires next yssr and ESPN is not gonna make an offfer. Even CBS Sports is out. NIU fans are going to realize very soon, just like Fresno State learned, that only 8 or 9 games will be televised--not all 12--because that's just life in the MWC.
@@MrProy33 LOL what are you even talking about. MWC > then the whack pac. Media deal will increase for the MWC, they will partner with Fox/CBS and TruTV, Navarez has excellent relationships and is making the necessary moves to not lose value.
Take away UNLV and the highest rated MW team is #83 San Jose St. Without Boise and Fresno, there is no Mountain West. All of the remaining MW teams have a losing record since the conference was formed. You can't even watch all 12 of a MW school's season games on TV because they don't televise every game. It was a dog of a conference before the good teams left, and it's ecen worse now.
Great video
Well done. Thank you
Great breakdown, didn't know NIU dominated the MAC TV numbers to that extent. :)
Thanks for sharing. Not surprising considering NIU and its large alumni base predominantly located in Chicagoland area and NIU's dominance of the MAC in the 15 seasons. Looking forward to no more Tuesday/Wednesday games on ESPNU and building back our fanbase after 15+ years of ESPN destruction.
ESPn doesn't destroy programs unless your in a lowly conference like the mac. Considering how many people watch ESPN, you'll see that it is useful for programs like Michigan that are in the B1G.
Incredible research and outstanding video!!!
Should also note in Spring 2008 there was the 2008 shooting which had an adverse affect on enrollment and attendance. I would also highlight the percentage of state budget NIU receives compared to University of Illinois.
I’d be very interested to see what those ratings for NIU looked like when they weren’t putting together double digit win seasons..I would suspect rankings hype was a contributing factor to them getting so much higher than the rest of the Mac. They were consistently at the top for such a long time
Wow great video, I wonder if this time will be any different than their Big West stint… we shall see
@D1 360 Do you have this spreadsheet for all conferences? If not, can you do this for the American and Sun Belt? Can this spreadsheet be made available for people to view? In anticipation that the Pac-12 will be looking at AAC and a particular Sun Belt program for its next round of expansion, I think it would be interesting to do the TV ratings analysis for those conferences. Another great video, appreciate your work.
Another fantastic video
Are you able to tell us what NIU's TV numbers look like versus other G6 peers?
Great video! I was wondering if you could do a video saying where NIU could go for non football sports.
Also I am curious, who do you think are the D2 programs who could go up to D1? Especially with how we will definitely get more realignment for the PAC, CUSA, MWC, WAC, MAC, etc. coming at some point with all their situations.
I am am predicting NIU other sports go to "The Valley" (MVC). Loyola used to be there; UIC readily took the upgrade to the Valley from the Horizon as their Chicago market back fill. They are a Men's Soccer affiliate and three other Illinois public universities are there: UIC, Illinois State, and Southern Illinois
I wish the conferences went back to when the big ten still had 10 teams and no penn st, Nebraska, etc. Or at least mid 2000s
Ehhhh, I think that Nebraska will come through and survive the B1G. But Not having Penn State is a curse. Even with programs like Michigan Wisconsin, and Ohio State, they aren't full. There is a reason why they added Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, etc., as that is for profitable purposes for the fans and for the conference
This is an incredible overview. What a video - stark seeing the MAC commit so heavily to ESPN while ESPN continued to dump games off on tertiary or streaming channels. The MACtion deal was a disaster.
Great, great video. Thanks for this.
Everyone is in the transfer portal. Players, coaches, entire teams
@d1_360 Another great video. So this question is off topic.
But do you think the Pac-12 has painted itself into a corner and may have serious problems finding that 8th and final FB member?
The MWC & American mustve locked up their members with GoR and high penalty fees.
Also you need to do a video of what you think conferences are gonna look like in 2026 after all these moves are done.
Great job as usual. NIU needs something to turn around their economically depressed athletic department.
Perhaps not being terrible at all of their other sports would be a start.
You think the Horizon would be better than the Missouri Valley for all other sports? I think for basketball, MVC makes more sense and better travel proximity than the Horizon. A move to the MVC would also rekindle rivalries with Bradley and SIU. Great video!
I'm not sure the MVC wanted NIU.
They already have presence in Chicago with Illinois Chicago. Unless the Huskies had a solid program, they see no point in adding them.
Horizon wants to get back into the Chicago market after losing both their schools to the Valley.
But you just never know with conference realignment
NIU is already an associate member of the MVC for men’s soccer so it isn’t that far fetched.
@@Adorkableguy The Missouri Valley used to be a power conference in basketball. They are still a solid mid major. The Horizon is just another of many low majors usually referred to as one bid conferences.
Good job NIU.. As a Toledo fan c1974 get out while you can.. Attendance numbers are horrible in the MAC.. I’ve seen Catholic high school games with more people. I could only wish Toledo to the MW conference…Not Happening 😞 Best of 🍀 Northern Illinois
Maybe the MAC and CUSA merges to creat stronger brand for fans to then want to come to?
Since no MAC school can average 20,000 per home football contest then TV money is extremely important to keep the programs afloat. There is a downside to playing on Tuesday or Wednesday true but there is also a big advantage that being no competition on those night. How will Saturday night games fare when let’s say NIU is playing at New Mexico on CBSSports when let’s say Arizona State is at BYU on Fox, Colorado at Kansas State on ESPN as well as UCLA hosting Michigan on ESPN II? You also will have the PAC 12 G5 games on Saturday nights maybe Boise State at San Diego Stats all in the 7:30p or 8:30p slot.
Sorry Charlie but the MWC TV rating are going to stink, none of the teams can attract flies. 2025 TV Audience Ratings- 112th Wyoming, 96th Hawaii, 92nd Air Force, 88th Nevada, 87th New Mexico, 83rd UNLV, 63rd NIU,
I love the analysis on ticket revenue, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's parking, concessions, and most importantly, donations which I bet are all down along the same lines as ticket revenue. It really does make me understand why NIU would leave the MAC for the MWC.
Even going from ESPN mothership to ESPN2 decreases viwership by 50%
Excellent analysis of TV and attendance issues--you should be an athletic director. Similarly, San Jose State is in a major metro region but carries next to no TV viewership or live fan base. NIU may have a little more support, but learn from SJSU--they have like 27k enrollment and alumni everywhere, but makes no real impact on sports. I think you are vastly overestimating those advantages. The weeknight games does suppress MAC attendance so it helps to actually play on Saturday. But figure that these official attendance figures are likely exaggerated by one third or more. Yes, their teams have been strong, but so has SJSU and there is no real tangible benefit to their conference. So, overall, NIU could very well be "San Jose State-Midwest" and not going to help the MWC much. But NIU is right to escape from the MAC--it is barely a G5 league.
Good points. It always bugs me when windbags say SJSU "has" the SF/Oakland/San Jose market when it occupies little interest therein
Naiked it. SJSU has no fan or alumni support. Football is an afterthought. The real shock comes when NIU fans realize that tge MW doesb't televise every game, so they are onky gonna get to watch 8-9 games on TV, and their team will have no fan support for away ganes. It's why Fresno, Wyoming, and Colorado State always scheduled guaranteed losses into their schedule agaibst teams like Michigan and Alabama--they need the revenue and the TV exposure those teams offer because nobody watches when they play out of conference FCS teams like Sac State, Cal Poly, or Incarnate Word.
Well not just fans that attend the school go to the games. Other people outside the school as well attend. And it is on them to come and help bring in $$$ for NIU sports like football
@gs4395 That would be great, but that is not the reality for Mountain West games. They are for students, alumni, and mostly for local businesses to buy blocks of seats and advertise cheaply. MW games do not draw tourism dollars. The stadiums are mosty small and antiquated compared to those in competitive conferences. Most MW games do not sell out.
I say this as a MW alum.
Excellent video
Should've added WKU and MTSU in my view.
MTSU killed it. They want to be in a primarily southern-based conference. Once the Pac-12 finally adds an eighth football member (which must be an all-sports member), there may be an opening in the Sun Belt if the Pac-12 takes Texas State, or an opening in the American.
Western KY wanted to move but Middle TN wanted to stay in CUSA. And the MAC made the mistake of not taking the Hilltoppers. They wanted a packaged deal.
@@vamoscrucerosI would argue that MTSU hadn't really been good at football for a while. I would like for MtSU to go to rekindle the rivalries with Troy and Arkansas State
It's like there are just dumping teams around the country in the MW It's so fucking random 😂
That Crawford pic was wild! High school student profile 😅😅. Different times
I guess the Horizon League would take them, but doesn't the Missouri Valley make more sense? Also, moving to the Mountain West seems like a lateral move in competition plus increased travel. I don't see an increase in CFP money from the move. TV money? OK, but are you really sure? However, if your fans support it, it's probably a good move. Finally, Dekalb really isn't Chicago, and I know you said "Chicago DMA", which is like saying that El Paso is Texas. Technically it is, but it sure isn't deep in the heart of Texas.
Most of NIU's alumni live in the Chicago DMA. Hence why our TV viewership is better than rest of the MAC.
Realignment has ruined the MAC now
The best conference in all of sports has now been ruined. It’s a dark day for college football.
For what it's worth NIU has left before
Just add Illinois State. It's a growing school with better basketball.
@@bobbolondz4211and what off football?
UMass is joining next year, a replacement is ready.
What an incredible video... Bravo!!
Fantastic video. I hope the pac can just finish this off with Texas state so we can all move on already.
When most people talk about realignment they mean SEC and Big 10 expansion. There is no realignment. No one has left the SEC since the 1960s and no one has left the Big 10 since the 1930s and no one is about to leave eirher conference. As for the mid majors or the Group of 5 conferences they've been realigning for a 100 years. It's nothing new. Heavens the Mountain West not only do its members keep changing so does its name. It used to be the WAC and before that the Skyline. It was also the Border Conference
The skyline?
@gs4395 the Skyline Conference which consisted of Colorado State, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, BYU, and a couple of others changed its name to the Western Athletic Conference.
I don’t see the attendance rising to a MWC average, in one of the worst stadiums in all of college football. They need an up to date facility. Overall MAC attendance really sucks, the worst in G5.
Yeah the NIU athletics can ask one of their rich alumni for better payments
I thought you used too many numbers and what happened in 1985 is irrelevant to 2025. What matters most is 1: Making the home games more available to fans, students and alumni. Which means no more weekday MAC home games which killed attendance.2: Increased TV revenue from the Mountain West’s media partners.
I remember not going to those games when I was a student. Flunk a test or go to a Tuesday or Wednesday night game? The choice was easy to not go.
HOW DARE THEY BREAK UP THE MAC
MACTION NOOOOOO
Maybe the MAC will want Youngstown St. now.
The only downfall may very well be football
Not official till d1360 posts
If NIU goes to the Mountain West get Youngstown State in the MAC.
Dont need em. We get UMass in 2025
But they may want divisions
I dont think the problem with NIU's move to the MWC stems from people discounting how strong of an earner NIU is, or how poorly the MAC has mismanaged its portfolio of brands/programs. Instead, I don't understand how NIU thinks the 2026 MWC is such better landing spot than the MAC... The MWC is dead on its feet. It is a collection of programs that couldn't lure away the best teams from the AAC (a conference that was already raided of its best programs). NIU is leaving a conference in crisis to join a full on zombie conference. If you were to run these numbers for the MWC, 5 of the highest performing TV viewership teams are out the door and mostly the dregs remain.
The only thing justifying the move to the MWC is their current media deal that was paying out $5 million per school; however, that deal expires in 2026. If NIU thinks the new MWC can negotiate a deal at-or-above that amount, I happen to have a bridge they might want to purchase. Meanwhile, the MAC just finalized a deal that will bring the per-school distribution to 2.5 million.
So by the time NIU settles in to its new conference, the ground will have shifted under its feet and they may end up earning the same amount of per-team distribution as if they remained in the MAC. In fact, with the current state of CFB realignment, it would not be shocking for the schools that stayed/got left behind to hit the exit button the second they find out their next media deal is a downgrade and they cash the conference exit checks from the 5 schools that left for the PAC.
I can't help but feel NIU is chasing a short term check, while risking long-term viability. How many of their future conferencemates will be in FBS football in 10 years?
MAC hasn't finalized anything. The MAC would be tooting it's horn and issuing a press release if they quadrupled their $800k per school media payout to $2.5 million. That's would also be more than double the SBC. ESPN isn't gonna pay the MAC that kind of money when 9 of the teams are in Ohio and Michigan.
@@eric6282and to top it off the MAC just lost its best viewership asset. Devaluing the MAC even more
MW rumored tv deal is in the 6-8 million/ school
@@eric6282But Ohio and Michigan are large states with decent markets, no?
No No No No No No No...
First of all, there's no confirmation from ESPN or any other outlet that NIU is moving to the Mountain West and if they do, someone in DeKalb needs to have their heads examined.
Now, if this rumor is true, NIU is going from a "bus league" with close rivals to a league there their nearest rival is literally in the next time zone and about 1K miles to the west.
Terrible move.
The board said they'll announce the move this Tuesday. It's a done deal.
There’s literally a board meeting to confirm the move on Tuesday lol
@@rangersking6699 They're idiots. NIU needs to reconsider this move. I think I've made it clear that the move sucks.
@@twomasta Worst move of the entire college football realignment process. Just gives me more proof that the powers that be in any level of state government are brainless.
@ I’m not a fan of it either. But it’s happening