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Alex Golesh has a scheduling solution for Tennessee after Nebraska canceled series

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•about 18 hours•

GrantRamey

alex golesh on3
USF head coach Alex Golesh (photo: gousfbulls.com)

Alex Golesh has a scheduling solution for Tennessee Football. After Nebraska canceled a home-and-home with the Vols, the South Florida head coach suggested coming to Tampa to face his Bulls. 

Tennessee athletic director Danny White wrote on social media Friday saying Nebraska canceled the series that was set for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, adding that the Vols were “very disappointed that (Nebraska) didn’t want to play these games, especially this close to 2026.”

That’s when Golesh, the former Tennessee offensive coordinator who just finished his second season at South Florida, suggested his team as a replacement for the Cornhuskers. 

Tennessee has two opponents scheduled over 2026 and 2027 seasons

Tennessee was scheduled to go to Nebraska in September 2026 and then host Nebraska at Neyland Stadium in September 2027. Furman is the only other game currently scheduled for Tennessee in 2026. The Vols have Western Michigan on the 2027 schedule. 

South Florida in 2026 has home games scheduled against FIU and Bethune-Cookman and a road game at Alabama on September 12, the date that Tennessee was scheduled to go to Nebraska.

USF in 2026 is scheduled to play Louisville, at Boise State, Florida A&M and at Northern Illinois. The Boise State game is scheduled for September 11, the date Tennessee was supposed to host Nebraska.

“Our goal is to try and replace this with another home and home,” White told Volquest’s Brent Hubbs, “I just don’t know if that’s possible. It’s going to be a really tall order. As it sits right now, there’s not a single opponent available to do that. We are calling around trying to see if people are open to trying to get out of another game to look at playing us. 

“It’s a lot easier to find someone who can do a one-off neutral-site (game) than someone who can do two consecutive years and find dates that match up. You typically need six, seven, eight, nine years in advance to try and find that kind of arrangement.” 

Nebraska canceled Tennessee series to add home game in 2027

Golesh in 14-12 overall and 8-8 in the American Athletic Conference after his first two seasons at USF. He’s 2-0 in bowl games with wins in the Boca Raton Bowl in 2023 and the Hawaii Bowl in 2024.

He worked as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator for the first two years under Josh Heupel, in 2021 and 2022.

Tennessee and Nebraska signed contracts for the home-and-home in 2006, with the series initially set for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In 2013, when the Vols scheduled Virginia Tech in the Battle at Bristol at Bristol Motor Speedway for the 2016 season, the Nebraska series was pushed back 10 years.  

The contract called for a $500,000 buyout, per game, to get out of the series. 

Nebraska canceled the series with Tennessee due to renovations at Memorial Stadium scheduled for the 2027 season, according to athletic director Troy Dannen.

Dannen told On3’s HuskerOnline that Nebraska needed to add another home game for the 2027 season to offset lost revenue from a lower capacity during the renovations. 

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

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