The big news of the college football world came out of Big Ten country this week when Wisconsin’s matchup with Nebraska had to be canceled due to COVID-19 cases on Wisconsin’s roster.

SEC Network host Paul Finebaum joined ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday and gave scathing reviews on the Big Ten’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, particularly regarding their initial ruling to cancel the season and then the protocols that were put in place when that ruling was reversed.

“This is what the Big Ten wanted,” said Finebaum. The Big Ten, on August 11, said, ‘We’re done, we’re not playing football this year.’ And then they were forced back into it because they looked around and they saw Notre Dame playing, and they saw everyone else playing, and they it saw it being successful.

“So the presidents of the Big Ten said, ‘Okay, if you coaches want to come back,’ and we heard from Ryan Day and Scott Frost making the most noise, ‘we are going to put some serious teeth into the protocol.”

Finebaum continued on his rant, saying, “They put what I think is a ridiculous 21-day protocol. Everyone else in sports, it’s either 10 to 14 days, that’s the CDC guideline. They offered 21. So you’re playing an eight-game season, plus one at the end of the season, and there are no bye weeks.

“The Big Ten got what they wanted,” Finebaum concluded. “They did this so Ohio State had a legitimate shot at the National Championship, and now they’re paying the piper.”

Finebaum had strong words for the Big Ten, and rightfully so. It will be interesting to see how the conference moves forward, especially if more cases continue to pop up among its teams.