After all this change, Nebraska hasn’t gotten it yet.
It’s about products on the field.
College Football is currently about the best games in the best environment among the best teams. To grow the game, and in more times, more critically for a future where athletes will be paid for their name, image, and likeness from schools, generating revenue for the sport.
So, what does Nebraska do? Cancel Tennessee and Home and Home Series in 2026 and 2027. This is the ideal sweet spot for new scheduling if it’s in a new college football landscape.
Why do you ask? Listen to Nebraska officials, as renovations to the commemorative stadium in 2027, when the Huskers began traveling to Tennessee will reduce their capabilities. Extra home games eliminate that problem.
It also creates a much larger public relations pothole.
Don’t make any mistakes. Nebraska is as scared from Tennessee as he is running towards a scary model. Neither look good – it’s either not productive in the Big Ten grand scheduling plan.
The Big Ten and SEC are expected to completely dismantle college football in semi-arm races for four years, generate a bigger game and sell it to media rights partners, and share the expected money with players. It focuses on making up for millions of lost revenue from the system. The “Pay-for-Play” system is worn by Nil.
And the Nebraska administration swooped, sleepy, post-football sports world Friday immediately moves and drops bombs.
Nebraska vs. Tennessee is exactly what the Big Ten and SEC are about to sell, and games ESPN and Fox will pay more in future rights negotiations. If you list potential high-value games between the two leagues, Nebraska vs. Tennessee is on the list.
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So is Nebraska vs Georgia, Florida, or LSU or Alabama. Unique campus games were rarely played (in some cases never) that the Big Ten and SEC were selling to fans as well as media partners.
The Last Things – The Last Things – Because fans want to see it on Saturday fall as they fire a big dollar.
If you want a passionate, loyal fanbase, then Lincoln isn’t better than anyone else – to support earthquake changes that eliminate almost every standard in the game they worship, Bowling Green is 2026 You can’t announce that you’ll be replacing Tennessee at home, not a Knoxville volunteer, but will schedule Miami (Ohio) at home in 2027 before playing. Because they lose millions during the stadium renovations.
Think for a moment that Nebraska sells its fanbase. The program is a shadow of the former championship self, trying desperately to fight against the futileness of a lost decade.
It took two seasons, but Coach Matt Ruhr finally brought the Huskers back into the postseason, winning the Pinstripe Bowl. Baby steps, everyone.
The Huskers have earned a rising star for quarterback Dylan Raiola and have rekindled championship hopes with the expansion of the college football playoffs. And the next thing you know is that the Huskers are running from Tennessee.
How else can fans see it?
Nebraska has earned $24.2 million in ticket revenue, or $3.46 million per game, from seven games in 2023. The renovation on the south side of Memorial Stadium costs an estimated $450 million and will temporarily eliminate 23,000 seats from its 85,458 capacity.
This 27% reduction will eliminate roughly $934,200 from the average take home for ticket sales.
So ticket revenue from game day and related revenues are around $1 million, with Nebraska torpedoing games fans want to watch, and the key need for the Big Ten and SEC to hang during future media rights negotiations. The game has been decided. Nebraska’s problem also has to pay Tennessee $1 million, get out of a two-game deal, and pay a guarantee to Bowling Green and Miami (Ohio), who are likely to exceed $1 million each.
I haven’t bought it.
This is more about Indiana than Tennessee.
This would have been to manufacture the easiest path possible for CFPs, and would have also ruled out creeping under the tent behind the outfit to play a 30-40 FBS team. Next, “All we can do is play our team on a schedule.”
So, when CFP moves to 14 or 16 teams in 2026, let’s take a look. Nebraska is going to play the Tennessee host. The Huskers have the best opportunity to return to the elite college football.
It’s his fourth year under Rhule, Raiola will be his third year starter, with more pieces around him probably to change the program.
Nebraska decided to play the short game by ignoring longer, more impactful games throughout the Big Ten. The Big Ten has been waiting for a profit rate for nearly 15 years by inviting the Huskers to a club exclusively for members.
At least what Nebraska can do is join the Big Ten and its goal is to become more attractive to media partners and to new future media partners. The only certainty of Fluid Media Production Business is live sports sales.
Important live sports.
Not another Sunbelt team playing Nebraska for pay.
Matt Hayes is a senior national college football writer for the USA Today Sports Network. Follow him with X at @matthayescfb.