Wisconsin football is back on Saturday evening and so is it’s star quarterback.

Less than two hours before kickoff, we finally learned the fate of Badger quarterback Graham Mertz. It appears that Mertz will be under center for Wisconsin in its primetime showdown with Michigan.

There had been questions about Mertz’s status all week. When the COVID-19 outbreak began in Madison after Week 1, Mertz’s name was one of the most notable to be on the list of players with coronavirus.

This week, Badger coaches had continued to say Mertz was in protocol but could end up playing against the Wolverines. It appears that Mertz is now out of the protocol.

It’s been more than three weeks since we’ve seen the Badgers play, and that was Mertz’s only career start for Wisconsin. So, if you’ve forgotten about Mertz here’s a refresher.

In Week 1 against Illinois, the Overland Park, Kansas, native was nearly perfect as he went 20-of-21 for 248 yards in five touchdowns in Wisconsin’s shellacking of the Illini, 45-7.

This will be Mertz’s second career start and a big one. After this week, either Northwestern or Purdue will still be unbeaten. If Wisconsin wins, the Badgers can keep pace in the Big Ten West. It would also prove a lot to the nation as Paul Chryst’s squad plays Michigan in primetime.