MADISON, Wis. – A one-sided season opening victory for the University of Wisconsin has made the Badgers heavy favorites in week two.

Heading into its first road game of the season, No.9 Wisconsin opened as a 9-point favorite over Nebraska, according to Vegas Insider, and saw the spread jump up to 10.5 points by early Sunday night. That line is likely to change with the report that starting quarterback Graham Mertz has tested positive for COVID-19. More news on Mertz could be addressed Monday by head coach Paul Chryst.

Wisconsin has won eight of nine meetings since Nebraska joined the Big Ten conference, including seven consecutive victories. In the last three seasons with Wisconsin ranked and Nebraska unranked, the Badgers have won by an average of 18 points per game.

Nebraska arguably pushed the hardest for football's return, with eight of its players suing the Big Ten. Its welcome back gift was a 52-17 defeat at No.5 Ohio State Saturday, giving up 276 yards through the air and 216 yards on the ground.

Led by Scott Frost, who won a national championship as the Cornhuskers’ quarterback in 1997, Nebraska has gone 5-7 each of the last two seasons and has spent just two weeks in the Associated Press Top 25 poll since 2017.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday. The game will be televised on FS1.