The Nebraska Cornhuskers have cancelled their upcoming home-and-home series with the Tennessee Volunteers, a matchup previously set to take place in the near future. Nebraska’s administration informed Tennessee that they are opting out of the contract, which was originally established in 2006. According to Volquest’s Brent Hubbs, the buyout fee to suspend the games amounts to $1 million.
The games were initially scheduled for 2016 and 2017, but both parties later agreed to delay them by a decade. Now, the series is off entirely. Given the age and terms of the contract, the financial implications for Nebraska opting out are significant enough to deter such a decision. While this cancellation diminishes a potentially appealing nonconference series, it may also reflect broader strategic moves as the SEC and Big Ten negotiate greater influence over the College Football Playoff, possibly paving the way for future scheduling collaborations.
However, history shows that “scheduling agreements” between conferences have not often been successful, leading to speculation that Nebraska is simply choosing to move forward. Both Nebraska and Tennessee enjoyed substantial success prior to the 21st century, but the last couple of decades have been challenging for each program. Nevertheless, the Volunteers have recently shown signs of progress, while the Huskers still have much work ahead in Lincoln, with Matt Rhule aiming to spearhead a turnaround.
