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Nebraska backs out of Tennessee football series in 2026-27, putting Vols in a bind
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- Nebraska backs out of Tennessee football series in 2026-27, putting Vols in a bind
( This story was updated to add new information.)
Tennessee will no longer play Nebraska in a home-and-home football series that's been on the books for 19 years because Nebraska is buying out the contract.
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In the latest version, the teams were scheduled to play at Nebraska in 2026 and at Tennessee in 2027.
Those games were a long time coming. The deal was first signed in 2006, rescheduled in 2013 and now dropped by Nebraska a year before it would finally be played.
It puts UT in a predicament trying to find a Power 4 conference opponent for a home-and-home series on short notice.
"I think it's kind of unprecedented to pull out of home-and-home (series) this late with this little notice, so I'm annoyed by it," UT athletics director Danny White told Knox News. "Home-and-home (series) against power conference opponents are scheduled out a decade in advance, and this one has been on the docket for like 20 years."
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Nebraska will pay UT $1 million in liquidated damages, or $500,000 per game, plus any expenses incurred in pursuance. It's a relatively small penalty for a buyout, but that's because the contract is so old.
White must quickly find another opponent. That's quite a feat, but some schools have managed to pull it off.
In the 2024 season, Wake Forest pulled out of the back half of a home-and-home series with Ole Miss. Wake Forest paid Ole Miss $750,000 to buy out one game. The Rebels managed to replace Wake Forest with Washington State, but it was only a one-game deal. UT will consider all options, but it must act quickly.
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Why Nebraska says it canceled Tennessee games
Nebraska said it canceled the series because it wants more home games in 2027 due to stadium renovations.
"We are making plans to embark on major renovations of Memorial Stadium that may impact our seating capacity for the 2027 season," Nebraska athletics director Troy Dannen said in a school release. "The best scenario for us is to have eight home games in 2027 to offset any potential revenue loss from a reduced capacity. The additional home games will also have a tremendous economic benefit on the Lincoln community."
Nebraska has replaced Tennessee with home games against Bowling Green in 2026, and Miami (Ohio) in 2027.
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In the 2027 season, Nebraska will play eight home games for the first time since 2013.
How Tennessee-Nebraska contract hung around for 19 years
White's frustration stems from how long the Nebraska series had been on the schedule.
The contract was first signed in 2006 when Mike Hamilton was UT's athletics director. It was initially scheduled to be played in 2016 and 2017. Then the deal was amended in 2013 when Dave Hart was UT's athletics director, moving the games to 2026 and 2027.
It had been a much anticipated matchup. UT and Nebraska had played three times but never at either campus. Nebraska beat the Vols in the Orange Bowl following the 1997 season and the Fiesta Bowl following the 1999 season. UT beat the Cornhuskers in the Music City Bowl to cap the 2016 season.
Tennessee likely must schedule more neutral site games
This leaves two holes on UT's schedule in 2026 and 2027 and little time to fill them. The SEC requires that each school plays one nonconference game against a power conference member (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten) or major independent.
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Considering UT's time crunch, neutral site games are the likely replacements for the Nebraska games. That's another annoyance for White, who prefers home-and-home series with Power 4 conference opponents.
White inherited multiple neutral site games that were scheduled before he was hired in 2021. And now he may have to add more.
Neutral site games have been the norm lately for the Vols. They beat Virginia 49-13 in the 2023 opener at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. They beat North Carolina State 51-10 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte in 2024.
UT will open the 2025 season against Syracuse in the Aflac Kickoff Game on Aug. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. And UT is scheduled to play West Virginia in the 2028 opener in Charlotte.
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For now, UT has only one nonconference opponent under contract for 2026 and 2027. The Vols are slated to play Furman on Sept. 5, 2026, and Western Michigan on Sept. 18, 2027, at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee future nonconference opponents
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2025: Syracuse (in Atlanta); ETSU; UAB; New Mexico State
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2026: Furman
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2027: Western Michigan
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2028: West Virginia (in Charlotte, North Carolina)
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2029: Washington
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2030: at Washington
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com . X, formerly known as Twitter @AdamSparks . Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe .
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee vs Nebraska football: Cornhuskers back out of 2026-27 games
