The Mountain West Conference appears to be turning its sights to MAC programs Toledo and Northern Illinois as the conference seeks to fill out its ranks amid a chaotic week of conference realignment. Mountain West officials have contacted the MAC to let the conference know of its interest in adding the Rockets and Huskies as football-only members, according to multiple reports.
Texas State has also emerged as a potential target for expansion in all sports, according to ESPN. The Bobcats are in their 13th season of FBS football and their 12th year as members of the Sun Belt.
Toledo has been in the MAC since 1950, while Northern Illinois has been in the league since 1997 after it was also part of the MAC from 1975 to 1985. The two schools have been among the conference’s most successful programs over the past 15 years and would help restock the football ranks in an uncertain moment.
While the Mountain West announced Thursday that its remaining members have signed a memorandum of understanding to stay with the league through 2032, the conference still needs to bolster its ranks amid the departures of five schools for the Pac-12. To be recognized as an FBS conference by the NCAA, leagues must field eight full members.
Air Force, UNLV, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State and Wyoming are the league’s current full members while Hawaii is a football-only member. Adding Toledo and Northern Illinois as football-only members would leave the Mountain West at six full members while getting the conference closer to having a robust football lineup.
