Many sports leagues in the United States have had to adjust to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The NFL has been the most affected league by the virus over the past few weeks, and league officials have postponed some games after several teams reported that their players had tested positive for Covid-19. The ongoing coronavirus has also had a disruptive effect on college football. One week after it kicked off its 2020 season, the Big Ten conference reported its first case of a player contracting the coronavirus after Wisconsin’s quarterback, Graham Mertz, tested positive on Sunday.

Wisconsin will be without its two best quarterbacks against Nebraska

According to ESPN, the Badgers quarterback is awaiting the results of a second test to confirm whether he indeed has the coronavirus. If the positive test result is confirmed, Mertz will not play Wisconsin’s next three games due to the Big Ten’s coronavirus safety protocols, which require an athlete to quarantine for 21 days after testing positive for Covid-19. Mertz threw for 246 yards and five touchdowns during the Badger’s 45-7 win over Illinois last Friday. Unfortunately, Wisconsin’s woes at the quarterback position continued on Monday after the team’s backup quarterback missed practice.

The Badgers were nine-point favorites before their coronavirus outbreak

Chase Wolf did not participate in the Badger’s practice session on Monday, and ESPN reported that he also had contracted Covid-19. Wisconsin will be without its two best quarterbacks when it travels to Nebraska on Saturday. The Badgers were nine-point favorites against the Huskers before reports emerged about their coronavirus cases.

Even though Nebraska has one of the most challenging college football schedules, the team’s coach, Scott Frost, has declared that his players are ready for the challenge.

Nebraska Huskers will play five top 15 ranked teams in their eight-game Big Ten schedule. Wisconsin is currently ninth in ESPN college football rankings, and it will be interesting to see how Nebraska competes with the Badgers without their two best quarterbacks.

The Huskers lost 52-17 in their opening game against Ohio State. However, Coach Frost felt that his team competed with the Buckeyes in the early parts of the game before Deontai Williams was ejected because of a targeting foul. Match officials thought that the Huskers linebacker had tackled an Ohio State receiver by leading with his helmet, but replays showed that he had made the tackle with his shoulder while trying to pull his helmet away. Many pundits had predicted that Wisconsin would dominate the Huskers during Saturday’s game. However, with the Badgers traveling to Nebraska without their two best quarterbacks, Coach Frost will feel that his team has the chance to cause an upset over their highly ranked opponents.