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Tennessee AD ‘disappointed’ Nebraska cancels home-and-home series in 2026-27 on short notice

Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) tries to get past Nebraska defenders Aaron Williams (24) and Antonio Reed (16) in the first half of the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game, Dec. 30, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) tries to get past Nebraska defenders Aaron Williams (24) and Antonio Reed (16) in the first half of the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game, Dec. 30, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
 
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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska canceled two nonconference games against Tennessee as part of a plan to recoup lost revenue from reduced seating capacity during major renovations of Memorial Stadium in 2027, athletic director Troy Dannen announced Friday.

The Cornhuskers and Volunteers had been scheduled to meet in Lincoln on Sept. 12, 2026, and in Knoxville on Sept. 11, 2027.

“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,” Tennessee athletic director Danny White said on social media.

Nebraska replaced Tennessee on its schedule with home games against Bowling Green in 2026 and Miami (Ohio) in 2027. The Huskers also scheduled an additional matchup with Northern Iowa in 2027, giving them eight home games that season for the first time since 2013.

“The best scenario for us is to have eight home games in 2027 to offset any potential revenue loss from a reduced capacity,” Dannen said. “The additional home games will also have a tremendous economic benefit on the Lincoln community.”

All three previous meetings between Nebraska and Tennessee came in bowls, most recently the Volunteers’ 38-24 win in the 2016 Music City Bowl.

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Nebraska has never played Bowling Green or Miami (Ohio).

Tennessee canceled a 2022 home game against Army the year before it was to be played, similar to what Nebraska did Friday. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, White signed paperwork to cancel the game shortly after he was hired in 2021 and lined up Akron as a replacement opponent. UT officials told the newspaper that the previous athletic director, Phillip Fulmer, and former coach Jeremy Pruitt had started the process of canceling the Army game.

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