Minnesota/Wisconsin Game Cancels After 113 In-A-Row

By Shane R

Helmet On The Ground
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The University of Wisconsin was supposed to host the University of Minnesota in November, but positive COVID-19 cases ignited the game’s cancellation. Due to the Big Ten policy, the game cannot be made up if this happens. This is Wisconsin’s third cancellation this season. Unfortunately, since Wisconsin has lost out on so many games, they will not be eligible for playing in the Big Ten championship game.

However, there is a loophole for the Badgers to get into the championship game. If the Big Ten finds the average amount of games falls below six, then teams in the league must not play less than two games than the average to play for the title. Ultimately, the teams from each division may be determined by winning percentage if there are many cancellations.

Football Player With Ball Running on Green Field during Daytime
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The Wisconsin/Minnesota was the longest uninterrupted series in the history of college football. From 1907 to 2019, the two have seen a lot of each other. But, Wisconsin is not the only team that has been hurt by COVID-19 this year. The Minnesota Golden Gophers have had 20 players out due to COVID-19 and injuries in the last game alone, in a 34-31 win against Purdue earlier in November.

The onus falls on the Big Ten for putting the teams in jeopardy of not playing in their own championship game. The limited games will surely affect the College Football Playoff rankings and teams like Wisconsin and Minnesota, too. Only time will tell if things will work out for the Big Ten in the end or not.