This is part of an ongoing series covering various college realignment news for all three NCAA Divisions as well as the NAIA. The roundup below will cover news and reports since November 30, 2025, and provide updates on previously discussed topics. As a reminder, all official moves starting with the 2025-26 academic year can be found here and those starting in 2026-27 are here. We’ll break out the reports for each Division in the following order: Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, and NAIA. Clicking the links will bring you to the corresponding section.
| School(s)/Conference | News Item |
|---|---|
| Big 12 | Strategic Partnership With NFL |
| CCIW | New Executive Director |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference | Adding Flag Football |
| GLIAC | Extending Media Rights Deal with FloSports |
| Mountain West | Extended Commissioner’s Contract |
| Pacific University | Exploring Merger With Willamette |
| Southern States Athletic Conference | Will Sponsor Women’s Flag Football |
| Utah | Private Equity Partnership |
| Utah State University Eastern | Moving From NJCAA to D2? |
| Willamette University | Exploring Merger With Pacific |
NCAA Division 1 News
Big 12, NFL Partner Up
The Big 12 Conference and the NFL announced a strategic partnership to “advance the future of football.” The partnership will allow the Big 12 to receive officiating development, work on global initiatives, emerging technology, and expand flag football. The particulars of flag football expansion were limited to “collaborate to grow flag football across Big 12 campuses.” The NFL and Big 12 will conduct more joint trainings and evaluation programs.
ECAC Launches Flag Football League
The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and the New York Jets are launching a women’s flag football league beginning in the spring of the 2025-26 academic year. The Jets are providing $1 million to help fund the league and programs. The ECAC will have 10 teams for the 2025-26 academic year: Allegheny (NCAA D3), Eastern University (D3), Franciscan University (D3), Kean (D3), Long Island (D1), Mercy University (D2), Mercyhurst (D1), Montclair State (D3), Mount St. Mary’s (D1), Penn State Schuylkill (USCAA), and Wagner (D1).
The 11 teams competing this academic year will be joined by five more in 2026-27: Caldwell University (D2), Dominican University New York (D2), Fairleigh Dickinson (D1), Sweet Briar (D3), and Union College (D3). Schools that participate in a flag football conference outside the ECAC will not see those affiliations impacted.
Mountain West Extends Commissioner
The Mountain West Conference extended the contract of commissioner Gloria Nevarez through December 31, 2030. Nevarez started in the post on January 1, 2023, and has seen incredible change in the three years. The Mountain West is set to lose Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State to the reformed Pac-12 Conference at the start of the 2026-27 academic year. In response, the MW will add Hawaii, UC Davis, and UTEP as full members in 2026. Northern Illinois is also set to join as a football-only affiliate in 2026.
Utah Takes Private Equity Plunge
After a near miss with the Big 12 and Big Ten Conferences not taking a private equity deal (for now), the University of Utah made the plunge. Utah will receive at least $500 million in the deal, which will see the school spin part of its athletics department into a new entity called “Utah Brands & Entertainment LLC.” The new entity will be a partnership between the athletic department and private equity firms. Clemson, Kentucky, and Michigan State have similar arrangements, with a private entity outside the athletics department. However, none of those have deals with private equity firms.
NCAA Division 2 News
GLIAC, FloSports Extend Deal
The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and FloSports have extended their media rights deal for four years, which will run through the 2030-31 academic year. The original four-year agreement was signed in 2022 and ran through the 2025-26 academic year. FloSports has agreements with 15 NCAA conferences, including seven in Division 2.
Utah State University Eastern Eyeing NCAA D2 Move?
Utah State University Eastern (Price, Utah) is looking at a potential move from the NJCAA into NCAA Division 2, according to a recent D2 committee report. In November, the NCAA Division 2 Membership Committee noted that USUE was looking into moving up, but the committee needs “additional information and clarity regarding the structure of the institution.” USUE is part of the Utah State University system, with its main campus in Logan competing in NCAA Division 1. The committee will return to the USUE topic in February 2026. USUE competes in the NJCAA’s Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC).
NCAA Division 3 News
CCIW Names Vernon as Executive Director
The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) named Lexie Vernon as the conference’s next Executive Director, effective on January 1, 2026. Vernon was most recently the interim commissioner of the NCAA Division 2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). She was the Senior Associate Commissioner before stepping into the interim commissioner role. Vernon will take over the role from Maureen Harty, who retired earlier in 2025. Harty oversaw a stable membership in the CCIW, which has only seen one full member change in nearly 60 years. Carroll University (Waukesha, Wisconsin) rejoined in 2016 after six decades. The CCIW will also see football-only affiliate Washington University in St. Louis depart after the 2025-26 academic year.
Pacific and Willamette to Explore Merger
Pacific University (Forest Grove, Oregon) and Willamette University (Salem, Oregon) signed a letter of intent to merge the two institutions. The new entity would be known as the University of the Northwest, although that is subject to change. Both schools compete in the Northwest Conference, but the letter says each campus “would maintain separate admissions requirements, academic programs, and athletics.” The long term future of the two athletic programs could change after the merger is finalized.
NAIA News
SSAC To Sponsor Flag Football
The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) will sponsor women’s flag football beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. Nine schools will compete in the inaugural season: Andrew College (NJCAA), Brewton-Parker Christian University (Sun Conference), Life University (Sun), Milligan University (Independent), Point University (Sun), Reinhardt University (Sun), Thomas University (Sun), University of Tennessee Southern (New Program), and Wesleyan College (New Program). Meanwhile, the Sun Conference will drop to six members. The SSAC is the fourth NAIA conference to sponsor flag football, following the GSAC, KCAC, and Sun.
Photo Courtesy of Pacific University Athletics