Nebraska issues statement on Big Ten's denial of UTC game
A wild Thursday morning briefly saw reports that Nebraska was close to locking in an impromptu non-conference home game vs. Tennessee-Chattanooga on Saturday after their previously scheduled matchup with Wisconsin was canceled due to COVID-19.
However, that idea only lasted about 15 minutes, as new reports soon followed that the Big Ten Conference had denied the Huskers' request.
A few hours later, University of Nebraska-Lincoln chancellor Ronnie Green and NU athletic director Bill Moos issued a joint statement confirming that Nebraska attempted to schedule a game vs. UTC this weekend.
In the end, though, Moos and Green said they respected the league's decision to deny the request and would shift their attention to next week's road game at Northwestern.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the safety and well-being of our Nebraska student-athletes has been our top priority, and we know Wisconsin is operating with the same guiding principle. We wish all of those impacted in the Wisconsin program a quick and full recovery from the virus.
“With the cancellation of the game against Wisconsin, we did explore the possibility of securing a non-conference game for Saturday. The discussions we had were with teams that had already implemented stricter testing protocols than those mandated by the Big Ten Conference. Those details were non-negotiable if we were to bring a non-conference opponent to Lincoln.
“At Nebraska, we will always make decisions based on what is best for our student-athletes, and to provide them with the best possible experience during their college careers. To this point, the young men in our program have worked hard to prepare for the football season and have made the necessary sacrifices in order to play in this unusual environment. With an already shortened season, we owed it to our student-athletes to explore any possible option to play a game this week.
“We believe the flexibility to play non-conference games could have been beneficial not only for Nebraska, but other Big Ten teams who may be in a similar position as the season progresses. The ability for all Big Ten members to play a non-conference game if needed could provide another data point for possible College Football Playoff and bowl consideration.
“Ultimately, the Big Ten Conference did not approve our request, and we respect their decision. We are excited to move forward with preparations for the rest of the season, beginning with next week’s game at Northwestern.”