With Wisconsin, in partnership with the Big Ten, deciding to cancel the game this Saturday, questions are swirling about what is next for the Badgers. Hopefully we can clear some of those up.
For now, Wisconsin will be pausing all team activities for seven days minimum, as mandated by the school and the conference working together to make the decision.
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Per the school’s release, the Badgers have six coaches and six players positive for COVID-19. QB Graham Mertz was reported to have tested positive on Saturday, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. For any player that tests positive, and then has that positive confirmed with a second test, they will be forced to miss game action for 21 days. That would mean that Mertz would be out until November 13, the day before the Michigan game.
The game against Nebraska does not count as a loss against the Badgers, but instead is ruled as a no contest. Wisconsin remains at 1-0.
According to Big Ten protocol, Wisconsin needs to play six games to be eligible for the Big Ten championship game. Next week’s game against Purdue has not been cancelled, but the status is certainly in jeopardy given rising COVID-19 numbers.
THREAD of things to know about Wisconsin football:
–#Badgers shut down for 7 days minimum
-only game officially cancelled so far is Nebraska
-If my math is right, #Badgers are in Red/Red threshold
-Wisconsin needs to play 6 games in order to qualify for Big Ten ship— Asher Low (@alow_33) October 28, 2020