Nebraska and Tennessee were set to compete in a home-and-home college football series in 2026 and 2027, but that plan has fallen through!
The Cornhuskers have officially withdrawn, leaving the Volunteers to search for a new opponent.
Pete Thamel of ESPN first reported the news on Friday morning, stating that “Tennessee and Nebraska” are canceling their scheduled matchups in 2026 in Lincoln and 2027 in Knoxville. However, athletic director Danny White was quick to clarify that he does not bear responsibility for the cancellation. He made it clear that it was not his decision!
Correction: Tennessee is not canceling this series. Nebraska did. We are very disappointed that they didn’t want to play these games, especially this close to 2026. https://t.co/uSz7kAXk94
— Danny White (@AD_DannyWhite) February 21, 2025
Cancellations like these are fairly common. Schools often schedule unique non-conference matchups years in advance, sometimes even a decade ahead. As these games approach, they may no longer make sense. In some cases, both schools agree to cancel; for instance, USC and Ole Miss chose to scrap their series for 2025 and 2026. In other situations, it’s a unilateral decision, like Wake Forest recently opting out of its 2025 road game at Ole Miss after a heavy loss to the Rebels at home in 2024. Not ideal.
The silver lining for White is that Nebraska’s choice allows him nearly 18 months to find a replacement. However, the downside is that he really only has that limited time to secure a new opponent. Many schools in the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC have already filled their non-conference schedules, leaving few options available.
According to Thamel, the Cornhuskers aim to host eight home games in 2027, prompting them to forgo a trip to Tennessee. They agreed on a 500,000buyoutforeachcanceledgame,totaling 1 million that Nebraska will pay to withdraw from the agreements with Tennessee.
Setting logistics aside, this is a major disappointment for fans—not only for those of the two teams involved. College football enthusiasts were looking forward to seeing two prominent programs compete on their home turf, which has become increasingly uncommon in recent years. This decision further diminishes that opportunity, and Danny White made it clear that this was not his suggestion.
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