Wisconsin Badger Football Returns In October, Big Ten Says

MADISON, WI — The Wisconsin Badgers will return to the football field in late October, according to Big Ten conference officials.

According to the Big Ten, the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season will begin Oct. 23 and Oct. 24. All of the conference's 14 teams are expected to participate in an eight-game season. A conference championship game will be played Dec. 19.

The Big Ten will require players, coaches and trainers to undergo daily antigen testing. Results must be completed and recorded prior to every practice or game. Athletes who test positive for the coronavirus will need to get a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm their positive results.

Positivity rates for each team will be used to determine whether or not games and practices should continue. Daily testing must start by Sept. 30 for all teams.

New Testing Metrics

The Big Ten Conference will use data provided by each Chief Infection Officer to make decisions about the continuation of practice and competition, as determined by team positivity rate and population positivity rate, based on a seven-day rolling average:

• Team positivity rate (number of positive tests divided by total number of tests administered):
  • Green 0-2 percent
  • Orange 2-5 percent
  • Red >5 percent
• Population positivity rate (number of positive individuals divided by total population at risk):
  • Green 0-3.5 percent
  • Orange 3.5-7.5 percent
  • Red >7.5 percent

Decisions to alter or halt practice and competition will be based on the following scenarios:

• Green/Green and Green/Orange: Team continues with normal practice and competition.
• Orange/Orange and Orange/Red: Team must proceed with caution and enhance COVID-19 prevention (alter practice and meeting schedule, consider viability of continuing with scheduled competition).
• Red/Red: Team must stop regular practice and competition for a minimum of seven days and reassess metrics until improved.

The Big Ten will also establish a cardiac registry to study the effects of COVID-19 on athlete's hearts. Any COVID-19-positive athlete will receive comprehensive cardiac testing to include labs and biomarkers, ECG, Echocardiogram and a Cardiac MRI. A cardiologist will then have to sign off on the athlete's return to play.

“From the onset of the pandemic, our highest priority has been the health and the safety of our students. The new medical protocols and standards put into place by the Big Ten Return To Competition Task Force were pivotal in the decision to move forward with sports in the conference,” said Morton Schapiro, chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors.

Decision Was Reversal

The decision to start the season is a major reversal for the conference. In mid-August, the Big Ten announced it would postpone its 2020-2021 football season, drawing a mix of relief and ire from critics.

Conference officials said they weighed the risks of COVID-19 while debating moving forward with fall sports. Initially, the dangers posed to athletes, coaches, staff and fans were too much to move forward with the season.

This report is being updated. Chris Mosby, Patch Staff, Contributed To This Report.