Big Ten football is not “safe.” Never was, never has been, never will be. And it certainly did not make the eye-popping transition from perilous overnight, just because a bunch of university administrators about-faced, thanks to a variety of subtle and not-so-subtle pressures from coaches, players, fans, networks and, of course, campus bean-counters. Not to mention the competitive heat of watching rival leagues dominate the September airwaves.