The concussion protocol steps are somewhat detailed, given the timetable and the steps he has to clear. It might be a long shot he gets cleared by Saturday.

BC is on his way, so I'll turn it over to him.

Hello. It has been a little bit.

@JimNE: No great thought. Just liked the Target Field background and the goofy grin, which might scare off just a few people who think, 'This guy might not be all there.' They might be right.

@PTHUSKER: Clint is the man for doing that. I went to vote and it took a little longer than I guessed so my apologies. I don't know how much "better" Gates is feeling, but he's going to keep strapping it on. Knevel and Farmer seem to be stuck in that "day to day" category, which probably describes how Riley thinks about the health of most of his team. Injury no one is talking about -- B Reilly. He barely played because of that tight hamstring on Saturday. Also, about four linebackers who are battling something or another. Just that time of year. Minnesota is going to be out a lead linebacker too.

@JimNE: Ah, yes. Just felt it represented Nebraska football at its zenith. Two of the best players to ever play in the program at one table with a free-for-all to try to get their signature. Sort of summed up the mania of Husker football to me.

@Tone: Oh, man, if a butterfly flaps its wings in Beijing.... I like these sort of questions. Of course I have no answer. I guess I still think Nebraska gets rocked pretty good. I think it was a combination of just bad football, a bad matchup and a team that hit an emotional wall. What's interesting to me is what the heck does the playoff committee do with an 8-1 Nebraska team that just lost 62-3? That would have been fun to watch.

@Steve: I don't know that people lost their minds after that USC game. They were disappointed, sure. But It was the next week when Nebraska couldn't stop Ball State at all when the whole conversation started to change. Even then, there was some hope that season would be OK until that primetime game at Missouri after which, Sam Keller gave one of my favorite quotes ever: "I just need a little Sam time."

@NateM.: There's maybe one O-lineman (two at most) and Spielman that I think you could make a case as helping this team much right now. And I think it was a sound decision on Spielman since he'd be colliding with DPE for reps. Boe Wilson might have helped this team, though. I don't know that for sure. But I know coaches like what he's about. When Riley said the other day if he had to do it over again, he might have played some young O-linemen, I'm guessing that was the first guy he was thinking of. But ... those are tricky decisions six games into a season when the O-line seemed a little healthier than it is now. I think after the bye week their basic thought is it's too late, and unfair to the kid, to burn a shirt now unless there's absolutely no one there at his spot.

@Tim: Eerily quiet in the whole stadium. Whenever a guy gets hauled off in an ambulance, the next few snaps after don't even really register. Sort of a surreal scene when he returned though. The Ohio Stadium video board actually followed him as he walked down the tunnel onto the field, so the Buckeye fans started to build up noise. Obviously at that point the score was 45-3, so the game had almost become just something in the background.

@Jlunz: I don't think Wisconsin is going to lose again. That's a really good football team. You never know in college football. There might be one of those last three Badger games where it's sort of interesting heading to the fourth. Maybe Minnesota will push them. Purdue has a pretty good offense and has at least been challenging teams. But I'd say the combination of the two things you bring up -- Nebraska winning out and Wisconsin losing one -- is slim. Maybe one or the other, but I don't like the odds of both.