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 December 15, 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 |
|---|---|
| Chicago State | Adding Football |
| Conference of New England | Named New Commissioner |
| Heart of America Athletic Conference | Adding Flag Football |
| NCAA D2 | Realignment Possibilities in 2026 |
NCAA Division 1 News
Chicago State Adding Football
Chicago State University (Chicago, Illinois) will add a football team for the 2026 season and compete as an independent for the first season. In 2027, the Cougars will compete in the Northeast Conference (NEC) as one of nine teams, alongside Central Connecticut State, Duquesne, Long Island, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Robert Morris, Stonehill, and Wagner. CSU has been hiring to fill out the coaching staff and recruiting in the last part of December to get ready for the 2026 campaign.
NCAA Division 2 News
Some Defections Possible
Matt Brown of Extra Points laid out his college athletics predictions for 2026. Part of those predictions included NCAA D2 teams leaving for D1. Brown said that he anticipates the Atlantic Sun Conference to extend invitations to D2 members in March or April. While he didn’t mention any schools, previous reporting noted that Lincoln Memorial, Nova Southeastern, and West Florida are looking to move up. He also expects more moves in the D1 realm, with teams looking to leave the FCS and join the FBS.
NCAA Division 3 News
CNE Names Beer as Commissioner
The Conference of New England (CNE) removed the interim tag from Commissioner Julie Beer, as she is set to assume the conference’s top role permanently on Monday, January 5, 2026. Beer took over on an interim basis after former Commissioner Patrick Colbert resigned to join the Patriot League as deputy commissioner. Colbert oversaw only three changes in his two-year tenure: Salve Regina departed in 2023, Hartford joined in 2023, and Johnson & Wales (Rhode Island) joined in 2025.
NAIA News
HAAC to Sponsor Flag Football
The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) will sponsor women’s flag football beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. There will be six teams for the 2027 spring championship: Baker University (Baldwin City, Kansas), Graceland University (Lamoni, Iowa), and William Woods University (Fulton, Missouri) will leave the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC), while Missouri Baptist University (Creve Coeur, Missouri), Missouri Valley College (Marshall, Missouri), and William Penn University (Oskaloosa, Iowa) will have new programs. Five NAIA conferences have announced the addition of flag football as a championship sport.
Photo Courtesy of Chicago State Athletics