Baylor starting defensive end Jamal Palmer will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL suffered in Saturday's win over Texas.
Palmer (6-foot-3, 240 pounds), a junior, finishes the season with 14 tackles, 2.5 sacks and three tackles for loss. He seems likely to be replaced in the starting lineup by redshirt freshman K.J. Smith (6-2, 255). The other starting end is junior Shawn Oakman (6-9, 280), one of the best defenders in the Big 12 and a physical marvel.
Palmer's loss could hurt a Baylor unit that ranks fourth nationally in total defense (267.2 yards per game). The Bears' schedule begins to toughen considerably this weekend with a visit from TCU. There also are road games against West Virginia and Oklahoma among the next four contests.
In other injury news:
» As if things weren't bad enough for Illinois, starting QB Wes Lunt suffered a fractured leg in Saturday's loss to Purdue and will miss at least a month; he could miss up to six weeks. He leads the Big Ten in passing at 313.8 yards per game. Senior Reilly O'Toole has been the backup, but there's a chance that sophomore Aaron Bailey -- whom coaches were trying to redshirt -- could get the call instead. Bailey is more of a dual-threat guy than O'Toole or Lunt. The Illini are 3-3, and play at Wisconsin this weekend.
» In what should come as no surprise to anyone who saw him get injured live or on replay, Alabama junior tailback Kenyan Drake will miss the rest of the season after suffering a broken leg in Saturday's loss to Ole Miss. Drake was a backup who provided a nice change-of-pace for the Tide. In addition, starting ILB Denzel Devall (ankle) will miss at least three weeks and starting C Ryan Kelly (knee) at least two with injuries suffered in Saturday's loss.
» Cincinnati seems likely to be without starting QB Gunner Kiel this week against Miami; he suffered bruised ribs in the Bearcats' loss to Memphis. Sixth-year senior Munchie Legaux, who was the Bearcats' starter before suffering a broken leg early last season, will start in Kiel's place.
» Florida State starting C Austin Barron suffered a broken arm in Saturday's win over Wake Forest and likely will miss the rest of the season. Redshirt freshman Ryan Hoefeld seems likely to be the new starter. In addition, star WR Rashad Greene suffered a concussion in the first half against Wake, and coach Jimbo Fisher said Monday he was unsure whether Greene would play this week against Syracuse.
» Virginia coach Mike London announced that star senior CB Demetrious Nicholson, who has been bothered by severe turf toe injury for almost a year, will not play any more this season and seek a medical redshirt. He suffered the injury last October in the Cavs' fifth game, and after rest and rehabilitation didn't work, he had surgery in May. He played in just one game this season, a Sept. 27 win over Kent State in which he had an interception, but re-aggravated the injury.
» Virginia Tech backup TB Trey Edmunds suffered a broken collarbone in Saturday's win over North Carolina and will miss six to eight weeks. Edmunds, who led the Hokies in rushing last season, suffered the injury without being hit on the play. Edmunds missed Virginia Tech's bowl game last season because of a broken leg and had just gotten back to 100 percent. True freshman TB Marshawn Williams, who had won the starting job, suffered an ankle injury against UNC, and his status going forward is unknown. True freshman TB Shai McKenzie, who had been part of the rotation, suffered a torn ACL in the previous game and is out for the season.
» There's more bad news for Michigan: Starting TB Derrick Green will miss the rest of the season with a broken collarbone. De'Veon Smith and Justice Hayes should be the top two tailbacks going forward.
» Syracuse starting QB Terrel Hunt suffered a fractured fibua in last Friday's loss to Louisville and will miss at least four weeks. Redshirt freshman Austin Wilson likely will start in his place; true freshman A.J. Long, whom coaches want to redshirt, is another possibility. Syracuse plays at Florida State this weekend.
» San Diego State starting QB Quinn Kaehler will miss his second consecutive game with a shoulder injury when the Aztecs play at New Mexico on Saturday. True freshman Nick Bawden will make his second consecutive start.
» BYU QB Taysom Hill, who had been a legitinate Heisman candidate, suffered a severe leg injury in Friday night's loss to Utah State. Cougars coach Bronco Mendenhall said Monday that every major ligament in the leg was damaged and that eight screws and a metal plate were inserted.
» Eastern Washington QB Vernon Adams, who might be the most important offensive player in the FCS ranks, will miss at least three weeks with a broken foot. Adams leads the FCS ranks with 2,162 passing yards and is averaging 393.3 yards of total offense per game. NFL Media analyst Charles Davis last week called Adams "a master playmaker and a big-time leader."
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.