On Friday, University of Tennessee, Knoxville athletic director Danny White responded to ESPN’s Pete Thamel’s report on X regarding the cancellation of the Volunteers’ planned games in 2026 and 2027 against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. White stated that it was Nebraska’s decision and expressed that the Volunteers were “very disappointed” by it. He clarified, “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
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
In fairness to Thamel’s reporting, he noted that a key reason behind the cancellation was Nebraska’s desire for eight home games in 2027 due to expected reduced stadium capacity from renovations. While White can highlight the correction that it wasn’t a mutual cancellation, Thamel’s post did imply that Nebraska initiated the change. More significantly, this public statement from White emphasized Tennessee’s discontent and Nebraska’s decisiveness, particularly after both ADs presumably held discussions earlier this week at the SEC and Big Ten meetings in New Orleans about College Football Playoff qualification and expansion. White further criticized the situation in an interview with Grant Ramey of On3’s Volquest, revealing that Nebraska is only paying $500,000 per game—$1 million total—to exit the contract, a deal initially signed in 2006.
“The buyout implications need to be much steeper,” White stated. “This is such an old contract. It was postponed multiple times. If it had been postponed when I was here, I would have asked for an increase in the buyout to postpone it. I don’t know the history if we were requesting to push it back or if Nebraska was. The buyout terms are reflective of a contract that’s 20 years old. They are not steep enough to dissuade this kind of decision-making from our opponent.”
It’s important to note the complexities surrounding this situation. Tennessee attempted to postpone the series in 2013 as part of their plans to play Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2016. Although White wasn’t involved then, as he served as the AD at Buffalo at that time, this history reflects a pattern of adjustments on Tennessee’s part, which has also canceled other contracts, albeit not typically on such short notice—White’s primary concern in this case.
On the Nebraska side, AD Troy Dannen publicly stated that the rationale for the cancellation was the need for more home games due to limited stadium capacity amid renovations. Consequently, the Cornhuskers have chosen to schedule home games against Bowling Green and Miami (Ohio) for 2026 and 2027 rather than face the Volunteers. Some speculate that this decision may also serve as a strategy to improve their record by playing against potentially weaker opponents, especially considering Indiana’s recent College Football Playoff appearance, which was bolstered by a criticized schedule. Regardless, Nebraska’s upcoming schedule appears less challenging in the next two seasons.
Interestingly, White’s announcement on X sparked considerable interest, leading many fans and media to lobby for a match against their school in 2026, including head coach Alex Golesh from South Florida, who weighed in with his thoughts:
Sup @AD_DannyWhite #ComeToTheBay https://t.co/7qFRFkDLYT
— Alex Golesh (@CoachGolesh) February 21, 2025
As for scheduling, there may still be other developments to consider. The SEC is exploring the potential shift to nine conference games (which likely won’t occur until at least 2027), aligning with the Big Ten’s practice since 2016. This transition could pave the way for SEC schools to potentially face a Big Ten opponent in a 10th game under a cross-conference agreement, leaving open the possibility that the Cornhuskers and Volunteers may still meet in the near future.
For now, it’s noteworthy to see White publicly addressing Nebraska’s actions and correcting Thamel’s report. This aligns with a recent trend of not-so-mutual decisions and demonstrates a willingness to speak out rather than simply dispute a report. Such transparency would be refreshing in various other contexts.
