"Looks like Nebraska is scared of Tennessee": Analyst Jake Crain opines on the optics of Cornhuskers canceling series 

The Nebraska Cornhuskers made headlines on Friday after canceling their series with the Tennessee Volunteers. Although it was initially reported as a mutual cancellation, Tennessee's athletic director Danny White later said that the Cornhuskers decided to cancel the game. As a result, two games were canceled, one scheduled for 2026 and one in 2027.

On Friday, college football analyst Jake Crain discussed the optics of the Cornhuskers canceling the series. He felt the Cornhuskers were ducking the Volunteers.

"This just surprises me from Nebraska because say what you want about Nebraska, but I never looked at Nebraska as scared, but that's exactly what this looks like," Crain said. (18:45) "This is a bad look. And I know we have a lot of Nebraska fans that watch this show and I'm sure you'll give me reasons A, B, C, and D of why this was smart or why you're not scared."

"I'm just telling you from the 30,000 foot view, from the macro view of college football, it looks like Nebraska is scared of Tennessee having to see what they're bringing down the pipe."

Nebraska explains why it canceled its series with Tennessee

The Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Tennessee Volunteers were scheduled to play each other in 2026 and 2027, but the Cornhuskers canceled the series. This made many people, including analyst Jake Crain, say that they were scared of the Volunteers. However, Cornhuskers athletic director Troy Dannen explained that upcoming renovations to the stadium were the primary reason.

"We are making plans to embark on major renovations of Memorial Stadium that may impact our seating capacity for the 2027 season," Dannen said in a statement. "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."

To end the agreement, the Cornhuskers must pay Tennessee $500,000. They have also already announced the replacements for the Tennessee games.

They will host a home game against Bowling Green in 2026 and a home game against Miami (Ohio) in 2027. Replacing the Volunteers with two much lower-level teams certainly lends credence to the theory that the Cornhuskers were scared of them. The Tennessee Volunteers are still reportedly looking for replacements.