The Nebraska Cornhuskers have canceled their future football series against the Tennessee Volunteers, while also adding three future home contests, the school announced Friday.
Nebraska and Tennessee were scheduled to begin a home-and-home series at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb., on Sept. 12, 2026, with the return game slated for Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 11, 2027. The Cornhuskers have canceled that series with the Volunteers, citing expected reduced capacity at Memorial Stadium in 2027 due to renovations.
“We are making plans to embark on major renovations of Memorial Stadium that may impact our seating capacity for the 2027 season,” Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen said. “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.”
As result of canceling, Nebraska will have to pay Tennessee $500,000 per game for a total of $1 million, according to the terms of the original contract that was signed in 2006.
For the 2026 season, Nebraska has replaced the Tennessee contest with a home matchup against the Bowling Green Falcons on the same day, Sept. 12. The game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.
Nebraska is scheduled to open the 2026 season at home against the Ohio Bobcats on Sept. 5. After hosting Bowling Green on Sept. 12, the Cornhuskers will welcome the North Dakota Fighting Hawks to Lincoln on Sept. 19.
In 2027, the Cornhuskers have added a home tilt against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks on Sept. 11. That will also mark a first-ever gridiron meeting between the two schools. Additionally, Nebraska has also added a home game against the Northern Iowa Panthers, a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team, on Sept. 18, 2027.
Nebraska is scheduled to open the 2027 season at home against the Northern Illinois Huskies on Sept. 4.
Update (6:30pm ET)
FBSchedules.com has obtained guarantee amounts for all three games added by Nebraska, per copies of the contracts:
Bowling Green – $1.55 million
Miami (Ohio) – $1.6 million
Northern Iowa – $600,000
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