Consistency has long evaded Indiana.
But there's a similar word that has been just as difficult to grasp: continuity.
The Hoosiers have had losing seasons 13 of the last 14 years and will have yet another unless they can upset Penn State for the first time.
It seems like the perfect case of a program in turmoil.
But in reality, Indiana appears to be closer than ever to finding continuity.
A renovated Memorial Stadium is now like other Big Ten venues and head coach Bill Lynch also received a vote of confidence from Indiana Athletic Director Fred Glass.
"Obviously, Lynch is a guy with a lot of experience and the players like him a lot," ESPN.com Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg said. "I still think the jury is out on whether he can be a consistent winner but I think he deserves another chance after this year. The problem with Indiana has been continuity."
But the Hoosiers have to learn from a season where they have lost three games by three points or fewer and also blew a fourth-quarter lead against then-unbeaten Iowa. As such, instead of being safely in bowl consideration, Indiana is left having to win out just to get to 6-6.
"I think this season could pay great dividends in the future," ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel said. "It depends on whether these players take this year as motivation or whether they get discouraged. You have to assume and hope that they will use it as motivation and move onward."
Certainly the Hoosiers are getting more respect in the league with all their close games against programs like Michigan and Wisconsin, but national respect is probably a different story.
By moving next season's Penn State game to FedEx Field in the Washington, D.C., area, Indiana received $3 million for the switch. It's a game that could draw more national interest than a normal game in Bloomington, but it's basically all about the cash. Plus, when the two teams take to the field next season, expect a large majority of fans to don blue and white.
Rittenberg said the move may have been received negatively by the Hoosier faithful, but from a money standpoint, it is understandable. That is especially the case considering the recent economic climate.
Such situations could increase the program's exposure, but make no mistake about it -- it's wins that matter.
"Maybe you could do what Oregon does and wear uniforms that would wake the dead," Maisel said with a laugh.
"But Indiana doesn't have a world sporting goods conglomerate two hours up the road. It's really very simple. All you have to do is win some games."
Another potential outlet is non-Saturday games, which would probably be described as close to taboo for the Big Ten.
To say such games are rare for Penn State would be an understatement. In fact, the Nittany Lions' last non-Saturday regular season game was back in 2000, when they opened the season against Southern California in the Kickoff Classic on a Sunday.
Penn State was supposed to visit Virginia for a Thursday contest during the 2001 season, but the game was moved to December 1 -- a Saturday -- after the September 11 attacks.
When Minnesota used to play in the Metrodome, postseason baseball prompted it to move a 2003 game to a Friday, but such situations won't be repeated with the Golden Gophers' move to a new stadium.
Although late workweek games would be exciting for the fans and could increase the national exposure of Indiana, don't count on such scheduling happening in the near future.
Rittenberg said until the permanent bye week is added into the schedule, it would be hard to have a Thursday night game because it means Big Ten teams would be asked to deal with short weeks.
But once byes are added, the benefits could be there for the taking.
"Early in the season is a good thing to have," Rittenberg said about scheduling such games. "Teams like Indiana, Purdue, Northwestern and Minnesota certainly could benefit from a Thursday night game. Ohio State and Michigan don't need it -- they get enough exposure."
Even with quarterback Antwaan Randle El -- perhaps the program's best player since Anthony Thompson finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting back in 1989 -- the Hoosiers never went bowling, with their 5-6 record in 2001 their best finish under the signal caller.
Luck seemed to change in 2007, however, when Terry Hoeppner helped to lay the groundwork with a 5-7 campaign in 2006. But the head coach died tragically after a
bout with cancer before the next season.
In what could be described as nothing less than a storybook season, Indiana rallied under Lynch in his first season with the Hoosiers and ended up with an Insight Bowl bid, the first postseason game since 1993.
Although Indiana is on the verge of another losing season, all is not lost, and Lynch is careful to not call any game a must-win.
"We have concentrated on the process we have to do each and every day to get better," Lynch said in a press conference this week. "Sometimes when you talk about a game being a must-win and everything you work for goes out the window, then you get away from what we have done pretty well."
When it comes down to it, Indiana continues dealing with an uphill climb to bowl eligibility and national respect.
For Lynch, it all comes down to taking advantage of each opportunity.
Although sometimes teams have to make their own breaks, it's all something Lynch is trying to instill into the program.
"That would make for a great story if it would turn out that way," Maisel said. "I'm sure to a person, nobody at Indiana would choose to do it that way. But it would certainly be a lovely narrative if they can complete that journey."
