My gut feeling is the same. And I think NIU is facing a major overhaul in both academics and athletics. Anyone expecting things to return to the "normal" pre-coronavirus is not grounded in reality.

Some notes:
--- Huskie Stadium need some improvements (restrooms, concession areas, skybox with leaking roof, etc.), but maybe having a 23,595-seat stadium with no bad seats is not such a disadvantage.
--- Northern is not in the midst of a big new facility binge like some other G5 schools stuck in the midst of major building programs.
--- I doubt ESPN is going to let NIU or the MAC renegotiate a contract (expires in 2027) so the individual schools can seek better deals, including greater income from online streaming, etc. ESPN wants the content and the money. Remember, that contract is not between ESPN and 12 public universities. It is between ESPN, a private company, and the MAC, a private entity representing those public universities, who signed on for the duration.
---As with the above, selling the soul for guaranteed income is going to take a bigger bite through lack of flexibility. Even the contract itself is not a public document (Toledo reporter tried FOI and failed to get full access), so we don't know if/what wiggle room there is for additional revenue.
--- I personally would hate this, but if more events go heavily to TV and online, will someone ask why we need a band for a big halftime show? The cheerleaders? The Silverettes? Those were cut before, and some still are. With a tighter budget, survival becomes Job 1. In the Sept. 11, 2019, Athletic Board meeting, STF noted that upon his arrival there was a lot of "low-lying fruit," a reference to the cuts he had made. There isn't much such fruit left, if any. The saving grace is that participants have to be full-time students (= enrollment) ... don't they?

These are just a few unknowns, and that's what it all is, unknown.

I/we need some real positive news for our beloved university and Huskies.