After quarterback Graham Mertz lit up Illinois in Wisconsin’s season-opening win, there was reason to be excited about the season and how Mertz could bring a quality passer into an already strong rushing attack.

Just 72 hours later and the Badger quarterback situation all of a sudden looks dire. A possible COVID diagnosis and other undisclosed absences at practice Monday leaves a real question for what the Badgers will do at quarterback.

The carousel of chaos for Wisconsin began on Sunday when a report came out that Mertz had tested positive for COVID-19. At this point, the team is reportedly waiting on a second test to confirm that he indeed does have the virus. If so, Mertz is required by B1G rules to quarantine for 21 days.

If Mertz does indeed have COVID, that muddies up the quarterback situation for Wisconsin. The team was already without quarterback Jack Coan, who is out indefinitely with a foot injury.

But it gets worse. Current backup Chase Wolf was reportedly not at practice on Monday:

Wolf looked to be the obvious replacement for Mertz if he did have to miss time with COVID. Wolf has not seen much action since being a three-star recruit in the class of 2018. He has just one pass for two yards and two carries for 10 yards.

The pickings were going to be slim without Mertz and Coan. But if Wolf is also unavailable for Saturday’s game against Illinois, the Wisconsin quarterback situation becomes real dicey.