Nebraska dealt $1,000,000 blow as the Huskers pay hefty price for canceling Tennessee series: Reports

The Nebraska Cornhuskers will reportedly pay $1 million in a buyout after canceling the home series with the Tennessee Volunteers. On Friday, Action Network's Brett McMurphy reported that the team will pay the expensive fee after initially agreeing to play in 2026 and 2027 on X (formerly Twitter).

"Nebraska cancels home/home series w/Tennessee in 2026 & 2027. Cornhuskers must pay $500,000 to cancel series, which was agreed on 2006 & scheduled for 2016-17. However, series was moved back to 2026-27," McMurphy tweeted.

He noted canceling both games would cost $500,000, making the buyout $1 million. ESPN's Pete Thamel also reported on the home series cancellation on X, adding that the Cornhuskers decided not to play Tennessee because they want to play eight home games in 2027 to avoid potential revenue loss for reduced seating capacity as they renovate Memorial Stadium.

"Sources: Tennessee and Nebraska are canceling their upcoming football series, which was schedule for 2026 in Lincoln and 2027 in Knoxville. A driver of the move was Nebraska wanting eight home games in 2027 when they expected reduced stadium capacity because of renovations.," Thamel tweeted.

Tennessee Director of Athletics Danny White quoted Thamel's report to express the team's disappointment in the Cornhuskers' decision.

"Correction: Tennessee is not canceling the series. Nebraska did. We are very disappointed that they didn't want to play these games, especially this close to 2026.," White posted.

Nebraska will focus on the 2025 season, hoping to compete for the top spot in the Big Ten standings.

Nebraska Cornhuskers' resurgence in the 2024 season

QB Dylan Raiola in action for Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Pinstripe Bowl. (Credits: IMAGN)

The Cornhuskers are coming off a 7-6 record in the 2024 season, their best season since 2016. On Dec. 28, the Cornhuskers defeated the Boston College Eagles 20-15 in the Pinstripe Bowl, with quarterback Dylan Raiola leading the program to victory by completing 22-of-30 passes for 224 yards and one touchdown.

Raiola will return for his sophomore year in the starting role. He had 275 completed passes for 2,819 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman. The QB is tipped as someone to help Nebraska emulate last season's exploits and go a step further to secure a place in the College Football Playoff.

The Cornhuskers have also added key players from the transfer portal. One noteworthy new signing is wide receiver Dane Key, who played three seasons with the Kentucky Wildcats. Last season, he had 47 receptions for 715 yards and two touchdowns.

On Aug. 28, Nebraska will kick off the 2025 season in a matchup against the Cincinnati Bearcats.