A rare cancellation of a future home-and-home series occurred on Friday morning between the Tennessee Volunteers and Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Tennessee AD Claims Nebraska Canceled Home-and-Home Series, Expresses Disappointment
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Friday morning that the Volunteers and Cornhuskers would be cancelling a home-and-home series taking place in Lincoln, Neb., in 2026 and Knoxville, Tenn., in 2027.
Thamel claimed in a post on X, “A driver of the move was Nebraska wanting eight home games in 2027 when they expected reduced stadium capacity because of renovations.”
The University of Tennessee’s athletic director, Danny White, shot back with a reply.
“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.”
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
This is not a common situation, especially — as White mentioned — with the 2026 season less than two years away. Both teams will have to partner with another school and schedule a non-conference game with a new opponent during 2026 and 2027.
It’s a shame for fans of these programs and of college football alike. This Big Ten-SEC meeting had the potential to be a terrific game.
The Volunteers made the College Football Playoff in 2024 and have a sophomore quarterback in place in Nico Iamaleava. While he will be draft-eligible after this upcoming season, there’s a great chance he will decide to stay.
If this game were to go through, Tennessee and Iamaleava would have taken on the Cornhuskers and quarterback Dylan Raiola, who started every game in 2024 as a true freshman. He led Nebraska to their first bowl game since 2016.
KEEP READING: Why Would Nebraska Cancel Their Spring Game
The arrow is pointing up for both programs — but even if it suddenly took a turn for the worse, these are two proud fanbases that would surely get up for a non-conference game with two of the biggest brands in the sport.
But it’s not to be, as Nebraska — according to Thamel and White — pulled out of the agreement, sending both teams into a search to find new opponents for 2026 and 2027.
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