For first year Indiana football coach Jerry DiNardo, this season was never about winning -- not the Big Ten, and certainly not the national title.

Rather, DiNardo planned on using this season to establish his program and build for the future. That philosophy, which DiNardo espoused from his first day in Bloomington (the reason why four would-be seniors departed Indiana in the days following his arrival), may pay dividends down the road, but has resulted in some ugly football right now.

The owners of a 3-7 record, including a 1-5 Big Ten mark with losses to conference also-rans Michigan State and Northwestern, are now making plans for the future.

While DiNardo won't publicly concede this season as a lost cause, he's giving his freshman players --especially those that have spent this season mired on the practice squad -- extra reps in practice.

"It is all those guys who have been simulating our opponents on the scout team," DiNardo said. "They are the ones that haven't been coached for the last three months. The guys that have not been working with our terminology, with our coaches, working on our schemes. It is not going to be real long, but it is going to be worth it."

DiNardo's rationale for the new practice rotations is simple. The NCAA places no restrictions (beyond the standard 20 hours) on the amount of practices bowl teams can have between the end of their regular season and their bowl game. Since teams don't need to spend the entire month preparing for games, coaches spend a lot of time working with younger players.

"That's a big help," Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said. "What it does is give you a chance to work with younger kids, it's like an extra spring practice."

Now that Indiana has been eliminated from bowl competition, DiNardo wants to start conditioning the players he'll need to make an impact down the line if Indiana is ever to be a big-time contender.

Some of the Hoosiers' young guns are being forced to step up the rest of this season just to let Indiana limp down the homestretch as five starters are out due to injury and numerous others questionable.

Perhaps the most notable injury is center Chris Jahnke's broken right hand that will likely prevent him from snapping the ball. As a result, Jahnke will likely play tackle while one of Indiana's back-up guards fills in for him.

Beyond the injuries, Indiana faces numbers issues. The Hoosiers lack depth at most positions strictly based on the fact that the team's roster is not full, largely due to transfers. As a result, DiNardo has a tall order recruiting this offseason.

"There's 28 players good enough to play in the Big Ten and we have to find them and sign them," DiNardo said.