What the heck is going on over in Lincoln? On Friday, some infuriating news arrived for the Tennessee football team and athletic director Danny White. Seemingly out of nowhere, it was announced that Nebraska has pulled out of the home-and-home series with UT.
You've got to be kidding. Things were set for a 2026 showdown, followed by another one in 2027. However, Nebraska had a change of heart and White is not happy. Originally, it seemed like this was a mutual decision. Well, not exactly. White didn't waste any time in clearing things up, throwing the Cornhuskers under the bus for them being the only side who decided to cut things off:
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
Danny White called Nebraska out for canceling the home-and-home series with Tennessee
As you can see from White's social media post, he indeed is pretty dang fired up, and not in a good way. This is the definition of short notice. Now, White is going to have to reach out to other programs to try and see if anyone is available not only for 2026, but also 2027.
In '26, the Vols were all set to take on Nebraska in Lincoln, while a return trip to Knoxville was on the books. However, that all has changed due to Troy Dannen backing out, with him stating that stadium renovations played a role in his decision, as the team is going to need an extra home game in 2027 to 'offset' revenue loss.
We get it, times are tough, but how is this fair to Tennessee and White? This is something the Vols don't need to be worrying about right now, especially with spring football set to arrive on March 7. The Vols are coming off a 10-win season and a trip to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.
Nebraska is coming off a 7-6 campaign under Matt Rhule, which ended with a win over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl. Both teams have exciting futures, which is why people were already looking forward to the two sides facing off against one another in '26. Now, we know that won't be happening.