BLOOMINGTON — At Indiana, it comes down to this.
Forget the blown leads, the narrow loss at Michigan, even the questionable calls.
The Hoosiers can still become bowl-eligible with two wins in their last three games, starting Saturday with No. 24 Wisconsin.
"We do realize it's still there, we still have an opportunity," defensive end Jammie Kirlew said. "As a senior, we feel we've put this team in the right direction, but going to a bowl game would be the icing."
The Hoosiers (4-5, 1-4 Big Ten) are running out of chances.
Two weeks ago, Indiana turned a 25-point first-half lead at Northwestern into a 29-28 loss. Last week at No. 7 Iowa, the Hoosiers again had a double-digit lead in the first half and again after three quarters but gave up four fourth-quarter touchdowns and went home with a 42-24 loss.
Winning either would have been a boon to Indiana's bowl hopes. Instead, the Hoosiers face a daunting three-game stretch.
First up, the newly ranked Badgers (6-2, 3-2) who haven't lost to an unranked foe all season. Then Indiana heads to No. 11 Penn State, a team it is 0-12 against all-time. On Nov. 21, they're back home against rival Purdue, which has won 10 of the last 12 games in the series including last year's 52-point sendoff for Purdue coach Joe Tiller.
That leaves Indiana with no margin for error.
"I don't feel any pressure because we'll be the underdog like we are every game," receiver Mitchell Evans said. "I think the pressure is on them."
The reality is that Wisconsin is already bowl-eligible and after snapping a two-game losing streak with a shutout of Purdue last week, the Badgers can focus on improving their postseason resume by adding to the lopsidedness of this series.
Wisconsin has won four straight over Indiana, including an embarrassing 55-20 blowout in Bloomington last year. The Badgers ran for 441 yards and had three 100-yard runners that day, the third straight game in this series Wisconsin won 30 points or more.
Badgers coach Bret Bielema thinks those results will provide even more motivation for the Hoosiers this week.
"I know what we're going to see on Saturday because we've had a little bit of success on them the last couple years," Bielema said. "I know they're going to come in, or when we go over there, they're going to be very hungry to play us."
The Hoosiers have a pretty good idea what they'll get from Wisconsin, too — a hefty dose of power football.
A year ago, 248-pound running back John Clay burned the Hoosiers for 112 yards and one touchdown. This year, Clay leads the Big Ten with 104.9 yards rushing per game and ranks among the national leaders with 10 TDs rushing. With Indiana allowing more than 145 yards per game and 15 touchdowns on the ground, there's little reason for the Badgers to change plans.
Yet if Indiana overcompensates against the run, the Badgers may take advantage of the Hoosiers' banged-up secondary.
Adrian Burks will replace Indiana's top cornerback, Ray Fisher, in the starting lineup after Fisher had knee surgery this week. The other cornerback, Donnell Jones, is expected to play with a brace on his injured elbow for the second straight week, and safety Nick Polk, who missed last week's game with an ankle injury, is listed as questionable.
It wouldn't surprise Lynch, who this week reflected on how the Badgers beat them through the air in 2006.
"They can get you in a lot of different ways," Lynch said. "The first thing you think about is their power running game. This is the one (team) that really lines up and runs power football. They've always had big backs, but they can really get you with the pass, too."
Or in the second half.
Indiana's late struggles have again resurfaced. Northwestern and Iowa outscored Indiana 47-3 in the second half the past two weeks, and now the Hoosiers get a Wisconsin team that outscored them 31-0 in the final two quarters last year.
None of that is a good omen for the Hoosiers.
Then again, only one thing matters in Bloomington.
"There's pressure every game but we really feel it as a senior class because we want this (a bowl bid)," Kirlew said. "We want it to happen so much. If we bring that intensity for four quarters, I think we'll be more than ready."
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