At the outset of the season, when all the Big Ten media hype centered on the Ohio States, Michigans and Iowas of the conference, Purdue was always in the back of Joe Paterno's mind.

The Penn State coach thought the Boilermakers had a good -- no, a great shot -- at playing at a higher level than those teams. They were ranked as high as 11th best in the country after opening the season with two wins. With Ohio State falling to Texas in the second week, they were at least on the same level in terms of expectation.

They'd also won two straight against the Nittany Lions.

But here we stand in the last week of October, and the Boilermakers have lost five consecutive games. They are winless in the Big Ten, making them tied for last place, sharing that mark with an Illinois team that was embarrassed by Penn State on its homecoming last Saturday.

Three games away from the end of a disappointing season, Boilermaker fans are searching for answers, and so is Paterno, only to a lesser degree.

"I am surprised they haven't won more games," Paterno said. "But after you look at the tapes of them, you realize why they haven't."

They haven't won many games because they've been extremely careless with the football. In their 31-20 loss to Wisconsin last week, they turned the ball over five times.

The heartbreaker came with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, when Badger cornerback Jake Ikegwuonu intercepted a pass and returned it 62 yards, all but sealing the game.

"You can't turn the ball over five times and beat anybody," Paterno said. "It is the black cloud hanging over your head kind of thing."

Instability at the quarterback position has also hampered the Boilermakers' progress. Out is former ineffective starter Brandon Kirsch. He has been replaced by redshirt freshman Curtis Painter, who threw three interceptions last week, including the one to Ikegwuonu.

Painter was 23-for-44 for 212 yards and a touchdown against Wisconsin, but when a team commits as many turnovers as the Boilermakers did on that day, all other stats become irrelevant.

A five-game losing streak was not what was expected of coach Joe Tiller's pass-happy team.

And because the Boilermakers are turnover prone, they have put their not-so-stable defense in tougher situations.

The Boilermakers are dead last in the Big Ten in pass defense, giving up more than 345 yards a game through the air, a statistic that appears favorable for Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson and his young receivers.

They have a lot of good football players, Paterno said earlier in the week. He also said he has a lot of respect for Tiller.

The same Tiller who Paterno has often times said changed the style of play in the Big Ten when he incorporated the spread offense, establishing another option than just running over your opponent.

Maybe they aren't that far away from being a good team.

A play made here, better ball security there, and Purdue could be aside the Lions and Badgers atop the conference.

They continue to be the unsolved mystery of the season.

"I really couldn't put in three sentences as to why they haven't done better, record-wise," Paterno said.