When a marquee college football team has a future hole on its schedule, it is interesting to think about which opponent could fill that space.
The marquee team in this scenario is Tennessee, which is now without at least one opponent in both 2026 and 2027 after Nebraska recently bought out of the scheduled series between both schools.
Who Could Fill Tennesee’s Schedule Hole?
Looking at this from Tennessee’s perspective, the athletic department will now have to figure out who can take Nebraska’s place on the schedule.
While the Volunteers are scheduled to face teams like Syracuse, Western Michigan, West Virginia, and Washington as part of their future non-conference schedule, they are going to have to do some more work.
Could they look to add another school from a Group of Five conference, such as the Mountain West or the AAC?
Or could they look to add a big-time school like Ohio State or Alabama?
Not that those two schools would be possible opponents, but it is an intriguing idea.
The College Football Playoff Angle
The other reason why this is so important is because of the College Football Playoff. Having big wins over good teams matters more than almost anything to the committee that is judging each of these teams.
So, will Tennessee want to add an easier opponent just so that they can add another win to their future schedule? Or will they try to schedule a marquee opponent that could help them build their College Football Playoff case down the road?
That is what they tried to do with Nebraska.
KEEP READING: Way-Too-Early 2025-2026 College Football Playoff Prediction
While the Cornhuskers aren’t necessarily an elite football team that is contending for a national title every year, head coach Matt Rhule is changing the culture and may have them in a better spot come 2026 and 2027.
The beauty and the curse of college football is that you have no idea how good a team really is earlier on in the year. Perhaps the Cornhuskers could be real contenders, which is why losing them on the schedule may hurt.
However, the Volunteers have the chance to find a new team that can still strengthen their eventual record.
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