A smarter way to bet

By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.(AP) -- 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."