MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin is set to play in a bowl game for the 19th-consecutive season when the Badgers (3-3, 3-3 Big Ten) take on Wake Forest (4-4, 3-4 ACC) in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30. Kickoff at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., is set for 11 a.m. (CT), with the game airing live on ESPN.

Wisconsin is looking to finish above .500 for the 19th straight season and win a bowl game for the sixth time in the last seven years.

Here are my five burning questions before Wednesday’s season finale.

After a couple of weeks of ineptitude, Graham Mertz and the offense finally showed signs of life with the ability to move the ball down the field with large chunks of yardage. As quickly as it started, it ended with Mertz diving – not sliding – for yards and suffering an apparent head injury.

“That drive was fun, we were clicking,” Mertz said. “I felt like we were going to have a couple of drives after that that were going to be like that, too.

“Obviously, guys out there making plays. (Jack) Dunn had a great catch on the sideline, then so did 'Ferg' [tight end Jake Ferguson] on that little seam route. It's definitely fun to get down there and can start marching on a little bit.”

Mertz said he’ll be good to go when the Badgers face the Demon Deacons and it’ll be an opportunity to end a roller-coaster season on a high note. Making his first career start in the season opener, Mertz skyrocketed past expectations of himself and the offense when he completed 20-of-21 passes for 248 yards with five touchdowns to no interceptions against Illinois. Since then, Mertz has battled COVID and more complex defenses. The results have been failing to complete above 60 percent of his passes in the final five games and committing more turnovers (8) than touchdowns thrown (3).

Mertz was clean against Minnesota until he departed, and while Wake Forest is 107th nationally against the pass (265.9), the Demon Deacons have nine different players who accounted for the team’s 12 interceptions. After week 14 of the FBS season, Wake Forest is one of just five teams in the country to have three or more interceptions returned for touchdowns.

“They do a great job of mixing it up, kind of showing different stuff coverage wise,” Mertz said. “Upfront, they are a physical d-line and an athletic d-line. All around they are a really fast group. It’ll be a fun competition for sure. They’re a good group.”

With Wisconsin not able to count on receiver Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor anymore, Dunn has emerged as a reliable weapon for the offense. Can the unlikely duo of highly recruited four-star quarterback and unrecruited walk-on athlete dial up the offense one more time?