In the words this week of Indiana coach Bill Lynch, the college football season has reached its fourth quarter. Goals are on the line.

Specifically for IU and Purdue, bowl bids to earn, pride to be assured — or restored.

Lynch said he didn’t need to spell out IU’s mission to his players. Win two of the final three regular-season games and they’re eligible to be selected for a bowl.

“We still have a lot to play for,” Lynch said Tuesday. “Without mentioning specifically ‘bowl eligibility,’ they knew exactly what I was talking about.”

Said receiver Mitchell Evans: “We need to finish strong. We have no other option.”

Purdue’s only option is to win. It has three wins and must win its final three. Coach Danny Hope’s message this week has been the same as Lynch’s.

“We’ve been mentioning (bowl eligibility) all along,” he said. "There have been lots of goals and aspirations for our football team, and there are many things (still) out there that can really impact our season.

“Bowl eligibility is just one of them.”

IU and Purdue have challenging roads to reach the postseason, and they essentially face must-wins Saturday.

The Hoosiers (4-5, 1-4 Big Ten) host Wisconsin at noon. As if facing the 24th-ranked Badgers (6-2, 3-2) weren’t enough, a loss would mean being required to win at No. 11 Penn State (8-1, 4-1) the following week.

“Every game for us now is a must-win game,” IU defensive end Jammie Kirlew said. “We know the goals that we have set for ourselves can still be reached. But we’re counting every game as a must-win.”

IU hosts Purdue (3-6, 2-3) to end the regular season Nov. 21.

The temptation for teams is to look at these three games collectively rather than individually. In IU’s case, that wouldn’t be wise as Wisconsin and Penn State are a combined 14-3.

“We really work very, very hard at trying to stay in the moment, and the moment is Wisconsin,” Lynch said. “It’s about taking care of business, especially when you’re building a program, because if you get ahead of yourself, then you’re not doing the things you need to do to build the team and build the program.”

Lynch said the Hoosiers failed at that just once this season, which led to the 47-7 loss at Virginia.

Purdue has no wiggle room. It must win at Michigan (5-4, 1-4) on Saturday, then at home against Michigan State (4-5, 3-3). Then against IU.

Call it single elimination, but long odds are something the Boilermakers have faced most of the season.

Hope notes his team wasn’t given much love in the preseason, and it was the underdog in nearly every game it played.

“It’s funny how things work out,” he said. "We weren’t predicted to do so well as a football team, to have a winning season. Some didn’t think we’d win any games, but we ended up doing some things very well and growing and developing as a football team.

“Now we’re disappointed we haven’t won seven or eight ballgames.”

Of course, the high point was beating then-No. 7 Ohio State. Another loss means that was Purdue’s bowl game.

“The bottom line is we need to be the team that never quits because we have defied all odds (already),” Hope said. “They’ve been a motivated team all along. Turnovers and (bad) plays have resulted in a bad record.”