Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Tennessee Athletic Director Slams Nebraska For Canceling Series

Originally posted on The Spun | By Hunter Hodies | Last updated Feb 21, 2025 12:18 PM ET

Tennessee and Nebraska were supposed to play one another in 2026 and 2027 but the series was canceled on Friday.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Nebraska wanted eight home games during the 2027 season because the school will be renovating Memorial Stadium. The school expects reduced capacity at Memorial Stadium due to the renovations and didn't want to travel to Knoxville.

Nebraska was expected to host Tennessee during the 2026 season before going on the road and both teams will now need to find a replacement team to play for both seasons.

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA - APRIL 27: A crowd of 55,000 watch action at the Nebraska Spring Football Game at Memorial Stadium on April 27, 2024 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)Steven Branscombe/Getty Images

Tennessee athletic director Danny White isn't thrilled about the decision and wanted to set the record straight that Nebraska canceled the series, not Tennessee.

"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," White tweeted.

Sometimes it's harder to find a quality opponent for the same week that you were supposed to play a good team out of a top conference. Tennessee will have to solve that dilemma over the next year since the 2026 season is on the horizon.

This would've been a fun series to watch since Tennessee is one of the top teams in the SEC while Nebraska is slowly starting to improve under Matt Rhule. Rhule led Nebraska to a 7-6 record and a win in the Pinstripe Bowl in just his second season in 2024.

He's hoping to take the Cornhuskers to even greater heights in 2025 as he continues to recruit very well.

Maybe we'll see these two schools play one another down the line if the negotiations and the renovations to Memorial Stadium go well.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: