BLOOMINGTON — Of course it's out there for the Indiana Hoosiers, the invisible elephant in the Cream and Crimson football room:

No, it's not whether Bill Lynch will return as coach. Athletic director Fred Glass said he plans to honor the final two years of Lynch's four-year contract.

It's whether IU can win at least six games, become bowl-eligible and earn a bowl bid.

Lynch will not speak about it. Not with his team. Not as part of his preparations. There is too much to do, too many things to concentrate on, too much execution to perfect.

Seventh-ranked Iowa is Saturday's challenge. Next week it will be Wisconsin (5-2). Penn State (7-1) and Purdue (3-5) will follow. The fact IU (4-4) needs two more wins to become bowl-eligible is a conversation for others.

“I can't look at it that way as a coach,” Lynch said when asked if he will talk to his team about bowl prospects. “When you get ahead of yourself, you're not taking care of yourself or the things you have to do. Iowa takes as much focus as we have. The other stuff is energy wasted. Everything we're doing is about Iowa. There are enough people telling our guys about (bowl possibilities).”

The Hoosiers have neither time nor energy to waste. Iowa has one of the nation's top defenses. It has an efficient, ball-control offense. It leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth nationally in turnover margin (plus 11). It minimizes mistakes and maximizes opportunities. It is 8-0 for the first time in school history. And on Saturday, it is playing at home at 70,585-seat Kinnick Stadium.

Yes, the Hawkeyes are missing a few key offensive pieces with tailback Adam Robinson and offensive lineman Dace Richardson out with injuries. Robinson has rushed for 629 yards and five touchdowns this season.

What does all this mean?

Opportunity, IU offensive lineman Rodger Saffold said. The Hoosiers did, after all, win at Kinnick Stadium the last time they played there, 38-20 in 2007.

“Iowa is a great place to play,” he said. “It will be high-energy. It will be on Halloween. Who wouldn't love to play on Halloween? I'm going to relish this and play to my best and practice the way I'll play. We'll try to grab a victory.”

Iowa has trailed in seven of its eight games. It has won a school-record four times by three or fewer points. Last Saturday it won at Michigan State 15-13 by scoring a touchdown on the game's final play.

“Teams with magical years do that,” Lynch said. “They find ways to win.

“Some of that (close games) is because of the people they've played. They won at Penn State, they won at Wisconsin, they won at Michigan State. Those are all tough places to win at. They beat Arizona and they're a top-25 team. They've played against some good people.”

The Hawkeyes' lofty ranking and hard-hitting style could intimidate some teams. Not IU, Saffold insisted.

“You do what you're supposed to do, go out and attack,” he said. “You can't be afraid of any team in this conference.

“I know they'll give us their best. They're going to be tough the entire game. This isn't going to be a game where we can sit back and relax. We have to dig deep and fight for the inches of every single play and every single yard for the entire game. We cannot sit back and let things happen because we know where that gets us.”

What that got IU last Saturday at Northwestern was heartbreak. Two weeks earlier, it was Virginia embarrassment. Yes, all that has ratcheted up the heat on Lynch (having highly touted high school defensive lineman Jibreel Black de-commit from IU this week to commit to Cincinnati further riled fans), but that's the past and no longer relevant. These Hoosiers, Lynch insisted, are moving forward.

“Our guys are here because they love Indiana and they want to play in big-time games,” he said. “That's what this is.”

And then, in case the Hoosiers missed the message, Lynch offered a final thought:

“Buckle up, baby. Here comes Iowa.”