BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana wants to solidify its rebuilt image.

The Hoosiers have ended their bowl drought, won four straight at home and are off to a school record fifth straight 2-0 start. Now they're trying to prove the turnaround is no fluke.

"Good football teams learn how to win, and good football teams learn how to be good at home," coach Bill Lynch said Tuesday.

The current home winning streak is Indiana's longest since it won six straight at Memorial Stadium between 2001 and 2002, and in the first two games this season, the Hoosiers have outscored their opponents 76-16.

But they're about to enter a grueling test.

Nine of Indiana's final 10 opponents were bowl-eligible last season, including Saturday's foe, Ball State. Indiana still needs four wins to qualify for its second straight bowl game, something the school hasn't achieved since 1990 and 1991, and the Cardinals pose a different threat.

"I think Purdue, ourselves and Central Michigan were the only ones that didn't receive a vote in the polls this week," Lynch said. "So we've got some pretty good teams ahead of us."

In fact, Ball State could be one of the most talented.

Nate Davis may be the most NFL-ready quarterback Indiana faces all season, and the Cardinals have solid receivers starting with Dante Love, who leads the nation with an average of 144.3 yards per game.

And the Cardinals are 3-0 for the first time in two decades.

Plus, Ball State poses a different kind of challenge.

Indiana, which runs the spread offense, has faced two opponents that use the same style. The Cardinals run a more traditional offense, giving them a better tuneup for Michigan State's power running game next week.

What it means, is that a fifth straight home win is no gimme.

"Nothing gives you confidence like winning," Lynch said. "But winning also gets you closer to your goal."

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DAY OR NIGHT: Saturday's game marks the second straight time this season that Indiana will have a 7 p.m. start.

One advantage is that the Hoosiers won't have to contend with the heat coming off the new rubber pellets from the field, which was a problem in the season opener against Western Kentucky.

But if Lynch had his way, he'd probably play all of Indiana's games in the afternoon.

"As a coach, I think you want to get up and go play," he said. "As a player, boy that's been about 100 years ago, I think you'd rather get up and go play, too."

That doesn't mean there aren't advantages to playing at night.

Lynch noted that fans can spend the whole day in Bloomington before attending the game, and it does allow more out-of-town fans to attend the game.

Plus, the environment at Memorial Stadium is different for night games than day games.

"I think there is some value in playing at night," he said.

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TAKING A BREAK: Lynch didn't completely get away from football during the Hoosiers' bye week.

He still held practices, and then, after giving players the weekend off, Lynch went to Butler to see his youngest son, Kevin, play. Kevin Lynch is a senior receiver for the Grizzlies.

"It was fun," Bill Lynch said. "It was great day weather wise, before the storm came, it was a great football game and they won 31-28. There were a lot of family and friends there."

Lynch, a Butler graduate, said he had no split loyalties on this day.

His son caught three passes for 32 yards including a touchdown that gave Franklin its first lead, 21-14 in the third quarter.

It may be the only time Lynch gets to see his youngest son play a college game.

"That's the first time I've seen him at Franklin, and it may be the last because we have games every week the rest of the season," he said.

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QUICK HITS: A victory Saturday would give Indiana its first back-to-back 3-0 starts since 1993-94. They also started 4-0 in 1985-86. ... The Hoosiers were the first Big Ten school to ever play at Ball State in 2006, and Lynch had to face another one of his son's, Joey, who was the Ball State quarterback that night. Indiana rallied for a 24-23 victory in that game. ... The Hoosiers have won 20 straight games against Mid-American Conference schools. ... Indiana did not commit a penalty against Murray State, the first time that has happened since Oct. 3, 1981. ... Quarterback Kellen Lewis needs six yards to pass Steve Bradley for second on the school's career list for total offensive yards. Lewis has 6,938, while Bradley had 6,943. Antwaan Randle El is No. 1 at 11,364.