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The questions started not long after the announcement last Saturday night that the call on the field had been overturned.
Once the official announced that a video review did indeed show that a Michigan State player had caught an incredible last-second pass and had in fact crossed the goal line to cost Wisconsin an unbeaten season, coach Bret Bielema and the Badgers were hit from all sides.
Why did he call timeouts in the final minute? How come the defenders didn't knock down the prayer of a pass? Did Wisconsin's hope of playing for a national championship evaporate on one play?
Over the last week, the postmortems of the Spartans' 37-31 victory have been concluded. All of the questions have been answered, except one.
How will the Badgers respond in another Saturday night game on the road, this time against hungry Ohio State?
One thing appears certain: Wisconsin won't change what it does.
''Before that game, we'd won, I believe nine or 10 straight Big Ten Conference games by almost 30 points (apiece). That doesn't just happen. Over the last three seasons, there's only three, maybe four, teams that have won more games than we have in college football. That doesn't just happen,'' Bielema said.
Then he added, ''When you are faced with adversity, you go back to what you believe in more than ever. You don't try to flinch, or you don't try to change what you're doing. You go back to what you know is good.''
The emotional fragility of the 12th-ranked Badgers (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) remains the biggest unknown in a game that also provides perhaps a last gasp for the Buckeyes (4-3, 1-2). They have battled NCAA problems and suspensions and can still take a step toward salvaging their season with a win.
''I wouldn't expect (Wisconsin) to be down one bit,'' said Ohio State interim coach Luke Fickell. ''Whether you have a 21-point lead, end up getting rolled, or whether you have a last-second play on the last play of the game - a loss is a loss and it's hard no matter how they happen. The sign of a program is getting back up and continuing to battle. I think that's what you'll see. Just like any good program, good team, sometimes that's a wake-up call and burns that fire in your belly a little bit more.''
There are plenty of challenges for both sides.
The Badgers defense gave up 37 points and 399 yards and was outscored 23-0 in the second quarter in East Lansing, Mich. The offense broke out to a 14-0 lead behind tailback Montee Ball and versatile quarterback Russell Wilson, then disappeared for the next two periods. In a game of dramatic ebb and flow, what will be remembered is that the Spartans made one more play.
There aren't many other options for the Badgers other than to try to turn things around.
''We faced some adversity, we came back from it. And the last Hail Mary play, they come up with it,'' said Wilson, whose Heisman Trophy candidacy was tainted by the loss. ''(Now we are) going to Ohio State. We just lost a game. Just getting through it and being positive, and just having a great week of practice ... and try and get a win.''
Ohio State's passing game with freshman QB Braxton Miller has been anemic, while the running game featuring twice-suspended tailback Dan ''Boom'' Herron appears to be going full-throttle. Both sides want to control the time of possession.
The game takes on particular emphasis now that the Big Ten has gone to two divisions. In the Leaders Division, Penn State is 4-0 with the brunt of its schedule still ahead. Wisconsin and Purdue are next at 2-1. Surprisingly, Ohio State, which lost its first two conference games, could still slip into the Dec. 3 Big Ten title game if it were to run the table and Penn State were to lose one other game.
''If we keep fighting, we're going to have a chance,'' Buckeyes center Mike Brewster said. ''It really just comes down to Saturday now. Even through everything we've been through this season, the ups and the downs, and the lows, to have a chance still - it makes you feel good.''
A roaring, raucous crowd of more than 106,000 is expected to rock Ohio Stadium. There could not be a truer test of whether Wisconsin really can rebound from the heartbreaking loss.
''The mourning period came Saturday night,'' Badgers offensive lineman Travis Frederick said. ''We came in on Sunday, watched the film and it's over. We've got to correct those things. Once we watched the film, we put it to bed and it's something that we're just going to move on and learn from.''
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Follow Rusty Miller on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rustymillerap .
