Matt Rhule confirms suspicion regarding why Nebraska canceled series with Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers were left high and dry last week after the Nebraska Cornhuskers pulled out of the schools' home and home football series for 2026 and 2027. While no formal statement was given by Nebraska in cancelling the series, former Nebraska player Will Compton noted that beating Tennessee wouldn't help the Cornhuskers in the […]
The Tennessee Volunteers were left high and dry last week after the Nebraska Cornhuskers pulled out of the schools' home and home football series for 2026 and 2027.
While no formal statement was given by Nebraska in cancelling the series, former Nebraska player Will Compton noted that beating Tennessee wouldn't help the Cornhuskers in the grand scheme of things.
Although he didn't mention Tennessee by name, Huskers head coach Matt Rhule hit the nail more firmly on the head this week when he said what many have already been thinking: that the Huskers didn't want to make their schedule even more difficult than it already was.
“Why in the world would a Big Ten team who’s already playing nine conference games, why would you ever play one of those games," Rhule asked to Urban Meyer on the Triple Option Show.
Well, the answer as far as why it was on the schedule is simple: it has been on the books for almost 20 years – 2006, to be exact. Teams schedule non-conference opponents several years in advance typically, and this was done when the Huskers were a part of the Big 12 and Tennessee was in a much smaller SEC.
Now, of course, the dynamic has changed, with the Big Ten and SEC becoming inflated in membership – or some might say bloated. That has created situations where conference play is becoming even more brutal, with Big Ten schools handling a nine-game conference schedule and the SEC potentially on the way to that.
Speaking of the Big Ten and the SEC, Rhule's argument against playing the game and his comments about why in the world would you play one of those games could end up being moot if a scheduling agreement between the two conferences comes to fruition. Rhule acknowledges that as a possibility in his response to Meyer, to be fair, but it would certainly give Nebraska what they're asking not to have – an early season contest in a game that they feel doesn't benefit them. But then again, every SEC and Big Ten team would be in the same boat, so there wouldn't be as much of an unfair aspect at that point for them compared to everybody else.
It feels like, with the way the Big Ten and SEC are posturing themselves as superior to other schools, that we could see an alliance form and regular games occur between their member schools. And that could lead to an eventual Nebraska-Tennessee matchup down the road.
Even if the Huskers' coach isn't crazy about it.
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