Reaction to cancellation of Wisconsin-Nebraska game

The Wisconsin-Nebraska game is the first on the B1G calendar to be cancelled due to COVID-19. Wisconsin announced the decision on Wednesday after they suffered an outbreak that resulted in 12 people in the football program testing positive.

Six student-athletes and six staff members, including head coach Paul Chryst, tested positive for COVID-19.

Wisconsin will be pausing team activities for at least 7 days.

The game against Nebraska will not be made up. Wisconsin’s next game will be at home vs. Purdue on Nov. 7. Nebraska’s next game will be at Northwestern on Nov. 7.

The B1G postponed the 2020 football season and eventually decided on a conference-only schedule because of COVID-19.

Here’s how social media is reacting to the news of the Wisconsin-Nebraska cancellation:

We’ll just have to see how many more positives emerge from Wisconsin’s testing pool over the coming days. 12 wouldn’t stop Wisconsin from playing next week and if Chryst went into isolation yesterday he’d be out by next Saturday.

— Sam McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) October 28, 2020

Questions: What’s ripple effect to #Badgers pausing football workouts 7 days due to #COVID19/game Sat. at #Cornhuskers ruled no-contest?

West standings? Is Wis. restart next Wed. and play Purdue next Sat. doable? What happens to subsequent games if a pause comes later in week?

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) October 28, 2020

No, a no contest means no one wins.

With no off weeks, there’s no room for the Big Ten to make up the game. Per Big Ten rules, division winners will be determined by winning percentage.

A team has to play 6 games to be eligible for the conference title. https://t.co/R5E040qx4B

— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) October 28, 2020

Wisconsin announces it will pause all team-related activities for at least seven days and the game against Nebraska will not be played.

— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) October 28, 2020

The most precious commodity of this football season is flexibility. The Big Ten lost it Aug. 11. Why there wasn’t more of a desire within the league to simply pause and push back the initial start date 3-4 weeks is why we are where we are.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) October 28, 2020

Wisconsin has paused football activities and Wisconsin-Nebraska is officially canceled. There are no makeup dates in the Big Ten.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) October 28, 2020

Purdue slated to play at Wisconsin on Nov. 7. https://t.co/0B7ozVczbP

— Tom Dienhart (@TomDienhart1) October 28, 2020

Wisconsin-Nebraska game canceled & Badgers pause all team-related activities for at least 7 days due to an elevated number of COVID-19 cases within program

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 28, 2020

Breaking: The Wisconsin football team will pause all team-related activities for at least seven days due to an elevated number of COVID-19 cases within the Badgers program.

Wisconsin’s game vs. Nebraska on Saturday will not be played or rescheduled. pic.twitter.com/ZeriXpDnzQ

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 28, 2020

This shows how precarious this season is and why Ryan Day bangs the drum every day about being extra careful. OSU is fortunate that Wisconsin isn’t on its schedule. https://t.co/KPHgNqxvX4

— Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) October 28, 2020

#Wisconsin‘s game against #Nebraska is canceled as Wisconsin pausing team activities for seven days.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) October 28, 2020

Wisconsin announced 12 positive cases, including head coach Paul Chryst. Unless Wisconsin is testing a very small number of players and coaches, this is nowhere near a red red designation.

— Sam McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) October 28, 2020