The Indiana Hoosiers are continuing to turn heads in the conference with a blowout win last weekend, upending schizophrenic Michigan State 46-21 in Bloomington, Ind.

The win raised the Hoosiers to above .500 in conference play and has them one win away from being bowl eligible for the first time since 1993.

"You want to play meaningful games in later October, then when you get into November and you're still playing for a lot, they're even more meaningful," head coach Terry Hoeppner said. "Players are excited."

In only his second year at the helm, Hoeppner has the Hoosiers on the cusp of a completely unexpected turnaround, considering maybe the most impressive player from a year ago, quarterback Blake Powers, has struggled and found himself benched in favor of the impressive redshirt freshman Kellen Lewis.

"This team has grown so much," Hoeppner said. "The seniors have done a great job and truly are a group of unsung heroes."

"He's doing a good job," Minnesota head coach Glen Mason said of Hoeppner, the Gophers' next opponent. "It's been a few years since they've been in the position that they are now, so he's done a great job. … They are playing very good football, very inspired football."

Not only is the team making a turnaround, it appears as if the attitude of losing and indifference in Bloomington might be changing too.

"I'm still getting feedback from fans saying that it was the greatest atmosphere in years, the greatest celebration. We've got to come back just to be a part of that, if nothing else," Hoeppner said. "We're winning hearts."

Good "bye"

A hot topic within the Big Ten conference since the inception of the annual 12-game schedule has been the loss of a bye week, as most conference teams are unable to schedule a bye week.

"It's something we need to have. I think if you are going to ask these kids to go 12 weeks, I think you have to give them a week off somewhere in there," Michigan State head coach John L. Smith said.

One of the problems the Big Ten has had with adding a bye week to the 12-game schedule is that the conference has traditionally done whatever is necessary to avoid playing over Thanksgiving. Typically, the Big Ten season is concluded the weekend before the national holiday.

While most coaches would love a bye week, they would rather not add one at the expense of playing later into the year. The only other option would be starting the season a week earlier, which was well received by the rest of the Big Ten coaching fraternity but would require an entire NCAA rule change — which is unlikely.

Also, it would likely lead to more games played while students are not in school — a certain drawback.

"I talk to our players frequently about things of this nature, and they all thoroughly enjoy having the week off and getting away from football," Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. "It is a long season, and they all love to go home and just [have] a week to unwind."

"We ask so much of our kids, and to not allow them to go over for Thanksgiving, to me, just wouldn't be my vote," said Jim Tressel, Ohio State head coach. "I could live with an earlier start and a bye, or I could live with 12 straight."