Throughout the season, Indiana has has remained stedfast in its approach to the next game being the biggest game.

This week, its next game is the biggest game not only because it is the Hoosiers' last regular season game, but a fifth-straight season with the Old Oaken bucket staying in Bloomington and a bowl berth are also on the line.

For the third season in a row, bowl eligibility comes down to the bucket game for IU.

Its players wouldn't want it any other way.

"Being in a situation like this, the only option is to raise your standards and your level of play in competition because there is a lot riding on it," IU redshirt junior wide receiver Simmie Cobbs said. "When you win this kind of game, the reward at the end, you're not just winning it for the seniors on the team or the freshmen, but you're winning it for the guys that played for it in their days. It definitely intensifies the effort you want to apply because it's tradition and you definitely want to be on the winning side of it."

Indiana has become well-versed in that tradition thanks to the efforts of former IU center and coach Mark Deal, a former Hoosiers center and coach who currently serves as assistant athletic director for alumni relations.

Deal, whose brother Mike and father Russ also played for IU, spoke to the Hoosiers Tuesday morning and donned his jersey from his playing days while giving a 30-minute speech on the rivalry's history.

"That's probably my favorite part of the year," IU senior safety Tony Fields said. "He's so excited. He knows every fact, every year, every date, down to a T. It's kind of impressive. I could sit and listen to him talk about it for hours because you can tell he really enjoys it. He's a main part of getting us fired up and taking pride in it."

Redshirt senior safety Rashard Fant, Fields' teammate in the defensive backfield, said ideally going to a third straight bowl game wouldn't come down to the regular season finale, with bowl eligibility clinched earlier in the year.

Fant has started in each of the last three bucket games. Heading into Saturday's game, he doesn't know the feeling of giving the bucket back to Purdue, with Indiana having won it every year since his redshirt freshman year in Bloomington.

"Ultimately you would like to already have your bowl eligibility wrapped up by then, but that's just not how it happens and you can't think about it," Fant said. "You go in here ready to play knowing that for both teams it's win or go home. Those are the best and that's when you want to play your best football when everything's on the line."

Redshirt senior safety Chase Dutra is also no stranger to the rivalry game and has led the charge in the Hoosiers' sense of urgency ever since their bowl hopes came down to winning their final three games of the regular season.

Dutra's view of the stakes is simple.

Lose, and have just four more days with his closest friends - the next game suddenly becomes the last game.

Win, and have four more weeks with them - plus a shot at IU's first bowl victory since 1991.

"You pretty much have to prepare like a pro," Dutra said. "You don't have school, you have the whole week off. This is your opportunity to really learn. You can really break them down better than you can most teams simply because you have more time to do it."

"That's what it comes down to: who wants to prepare the best and who's going to be ready on Saturday."

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