By Adam Roberts – 10/29/2020
It’s been a little more than 24 hours since we learned that Wisconsin-Nebraska would not be played this weekend, and the reaction continues to be mixed.
While the Big Ten was within their right to rule the game a no-contest since Wisconsin has had more than five percent of its players test positive, some in Nebraska have placed blame squarely on Wisconsin. There has been this idea that the Badgers were afraid to play the game due to having to start their fourth-string quarterback Danny Vanden Boom, and this thought process was promoted by the official radio account for the Cornhuskers on Twitter. It should be noted that, given the results of the first week of Big Ten play, it’s unlikely Wisconsin would have lost the game with their backup punter starting under center.
As things stand right now, Wisconsin-Nebraska has been ruled a no-contest, the Badgers have begun their seven days of paused activites, no decision has been made on the November 7th game against Purdue, and at the end of the day, Wisconsin is 1-0 and Nebraska is 0-1. Wisconsin would need to play six games to qualify for the Big Ten Championship at the end of the year, so if the Purdue game is not played Wisconsin would need a clean slate starting November 14th at #13 Michigan.