Unsettled NIU makes first Tucson trip | Greg Hansen

Northern Illinois will make its first trip to Tucson on Sept. 19, when the Huskies face Arizona at Casino del Sol Stadium in a matchup shaped as much by uncertainty as by football. For Tucson fans, the game offers an early look at a visiting program in the middle of significant transition. Northern Illinois has changed conferences, changed head coaches and is coming off a 3-9 season. The Huskies will also be playing in an unfamiliar stadium and a distant city, adding another layer to a season already filled with new surroundings.

The move to Tucson comes during Northern Illinois’ first season in the reshaped Mountain West Conference. The Huskies had spent a long time in the Mid-American Conference before making the jump. That change will send them to places they have not regularly visited, including Wyoming, UNLV and San Jose State. The travel involved in those trips raises an obvious question about how well the move fits Northern Illinois, particularly for a program now trying to establish itself in a league with a different geographic footprint and a new set of opponents.

Northern Illinois also arrives without the coach who led it into the season. Tom Hammock left in February to become the running backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks. Rather than immediately bringing in a permanent replacement, the school promoted defensive coordinator Rob Harley to interim head coach. That decision leaves Harley responsible for guiding the Huskies through a schedule that includes a new conference, unfamiliar road destinations and a demanding opening stretch.

The interim designation is central to the uncertainty surrounding Northern Illinois. Harley knows the program from his work as defensive coordinator, but he is taking over at a time when the Huskies are already adjusting to a new league. The school’s choice to promote from within instead of hiring a full-time head coach means the program will be evaluated not only on its results, but also on how it handles the transition. By the time Northern Illinois reaches Tucson, the game could provide another indication of whether the Huskies are settling into their new direction.

The recent record does not make Northern Illinois an obvious favorite. The Huskies finished 3-9 last season and will begin this season with a road game at Iowa. That opening assignment gives them little time to ease into the year before facing the rest of their schedule, including the eventual trip to Arizona. A difficult start could magnify the pressure on an interim coach, while a strong opening could give Northern Illinois confidence before it begins navigating the broader demands of Mountain West play.

Still, the Huskies have a recent result that makes it difficult to dismiss them. In September 2024, Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. That victory showed that the program can challenge a highly ranked opponent in an imposing road environment, even when expectations point in the other direction. The upset also gives Northern Illinois a reason to believe that its record and transition circumstances do not tell the entire story.

For Arizona supporters, that Notre Dame result is a reminder that the Tucson game may not be as straightforward as Northern Illinois’ 3-9 record suggests. The Huskies have already demonstrated that they can create problems away from home, and their first visit to Tucson will give them another unfamiliar setting in which to test themselves. Casino del Sol Stadium, the site of Arizona football’s pro day in March, will host the matchup, placing the game in a Tucson venue already associated with the Wildcats program and its football operations.

The Sept. 19 meeting also carries broader significance because it reflects the continuing reshaping of college football. Northern Illinois’ departure from the Mid-American Conference and arrival in the Mountain West is part of a changing conference landscape in which familiar affiliations and regional travel patterns are no longer guaranteed. For a Tucson audience, that change brings a new opponent to town and creates a matchup that otherwise might not have occurred. It also means Arizona will face a program whose identity is still being formed under a new conference arrangement and an interim coach.

There are several immediate questions for Northern Illinois when it arrives in Tucson. Can Harley keep the team organized through the coaching change? Can the Huskies handle the travel demands of their new conference? Will last season’s poor record carry into this year, or will the Notre Dame upset prove more representative of their potential? The answers will begin to emerge at Iowa and continue through the early schedule. By the time Northern Illinois reaches Casino del Sol Stadium, Tucson fans may have a clearer sense of whether they are seeing a struggling team in transition or another dangerous underdog capable of surprising a stronger opponent.