Big Ten football was never a guarantee in 2020. Between health logistics, financial incongruencies and eligibility crises, the oldest collegiate athletic conference in the country could very easily not have held a season.
Until mid September, this was the reality for fans of the sport and conference nationwide. But even before the Big Ten decided that it had solved the puzzle of holding sports during a pandemic, the NCAA had voted on a rule that could change the complexion of the University of Wisconsin football season.
Aug. 21, the NCAA declared that it would provide an extra year of eligibility to all Division I fall athletes.