CHICAGO _ Big Ten officials dubbed the football schedule released to the public Wednesday morning "Jenga 41."
The number represents the slate's 41st iteration. Jenga because, like the classic stacking game, blocks can be moved from the bottom and middle to the top.
Of course, one wrong move, one slip of the finger, and every piece comes crashing down.
"This epitomizes 'fluid situation,' " Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren told the Chicago Tribune. "Just because we release a schedule doesn't mean we are going to play."
Warren, who also spoke to Yahoo Sports and The Athletic in advance of the schedule release, is under no illusions that all 70 Big Ten games will go off as scheduled.
It won't be a straight line," he said.
Casting additional doubt on whether the season will go off as planned is the fact that several prominent players have opted out of the 2020 season: Illinois running back Ra'Von Bonner, Minnesota receiver Rashod Bateman and Michigan State defensive lineman Jacub Panasiuk, a native of Roselle, Ill.
Panasiuk said on social media he plans to redshirt and remain in East Lansing for a fifth season. Bateman will turn pro, and reports have Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons doing the same.
Here are 10 things to know about the 10-game schedule and new Big Ten safety protocols, also released Wednesday.
