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Tennessee will be compensated for Nebraska’s decision to cancel its home-and-home series in 2026 and 2027.
The decision to cancel the series with the Vols became public on Friday, much to the dismay of Tennessee athletic director Danny White. The Vols will now have to work quickly to find replacement opponents for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
But according to Brett McMurphy, the Vols will receive a hefty payday from the Huskers. The price of breaking the contract is $500,000 per game, which totals $1 million.
Tennessee, of course, could use that money in a variety of ways. The Vols could use the payments to help convince other low-level nonconference opponents to make the trip to Knoxville in future years. They could also use the money for other athletic department expenses.
Tennessee does not currently have many power-conference opponents on the books for future years. The Vols have a meeting with West Virginia set for 2028 in Charlotte. They also have a home-and-home scheduled with Washington for 2029 and 2030. In 2025, Tennessee will face Syracuse in Atlanta to open the season. Former Tennessee assistant and current UCF head coach Alex Golesh has already publicly indicated an interest in playing the Vols.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
