In January, the NIU Board of Trustees voted to approve the football program's move from the MAC to the Mountain West Conference.
Now, most of the university's other sports teams are prepared to leave the MAC as well. The Board will vote on Thursday to allow them to join the Horizon League.
The move would require a $1.4 million entrance fee. But the conference does not have an annual membership fee.
The Mountain West membership fee was $2 million, payable in installments. Board documents said that the costs to transition to the Mountain West would be “primarily” offset by an expected increase in revenue from things like multimedia rights and ticket sales.
Board documents about the Horizon League shift don't a similar offsetting of costs.
The Horizon League currently includes schools like Cleveland State, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Youngstown State, and Robert Morris University.
The only NIU programs that would remain in the MAC are gymnastics and wrestling.
