Wisconsin Chancellor Rebecca Blank Refutes Dan Patrick: ‘This isn't going to be a school by school thing’

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- One way or another, a potential revote on a fall football season may be done by a newly united Big Ten Conference.

Despite multiple outlets reporting this scenario, including former ESPN SportsCenter host Dan Patrick on his nationally syndicated radio show, Wisconsin Chancellor Rebecca Blank refuted the idea that all 14 Big Ten schools wouldn’t be in agreement on whether to play football starting next month.

#Badgers chancellor Rebecca Blank today during a teleconference when asked about B1G football: "I will say we're all going to move together in the Big Ten. We're all going to play or not if we possibly can. This isn't going to be a school by school thing."
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) September 14, 2020

“I will say we're all going to move together in the Big Ten,” Blank told reporters Monday afternoon during a media teleconference. “We're all going to play or not if we possibly can. This isn't going to be a school by school thing."

The quotes from Black were initially reported by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel beat writer Jeff Potrykus.

In a three-minute, 47-second summary on his radio show Monday morning, Patrick, who reported a revote was going to happen last week and it obviously didn’t, said “They’re trying to get nine votes (and) there is real tangible evidence and optimism here. That they’re going to be able to do these tests, that they’re going to get the rapid testing, and not everybody in the Big Ten’s going to play, but there is real optimism.”

DP on B1G: "The Presidents and Chancellors will vote today. Mich. probably not going to play, Mich. St. not going to play, Maryland's probably [won't] play. But you're going to get Nebraska, Iowa, Purdue, Indiana, Ohio St. Wisconsin wants to play but may not be able to." pic.twitter.com/6QiusRB5t1
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) September 14, 2020

Patrick named Michigan, Michigan State and Maryland as schools in the Big Ten that will elect to not play even if the Big Ten gets the required nine votes to restart fall football by a mid-October start. Blank countered this reporting by Patrick with everything multiple sources have been telling Illini Now/Sports Illustrated for weeks that any decision will be a consensus of all 14 schools despite the results of a potential revote.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Sunday afternoon via “sources familiar with the decision” the expectation is the Big Ten’s Council of Presidents and Chancellors will soon vote to start the season, with the target start date of Oct. 17.

According to Yahoo! Sports investigative reporter Pete Thamel, University of Illinois chancellor Robert Jones was among the initial group of eight COP/C members that heard the initial presentation Saturday. Among the eight COP/C members were Jones, Minnesota President Joan Gabel, Nebraska Chancellor Ronnie Green, Iowa President Bruce Harreld, Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway, Ohio State President Kristina Johnson and Michigan State President Samuel Stanley.