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For more on this game, see the Postgame Stats

Penn State was supposed to have the easiest remaining road to the BCS championship game of any contender. After a devastating last-second loss, they now have the easiest path to the Rose Bowl - and they won't have to leave home to get there.

With their national title dreams almost certainly evaporated, the seventh-ranked Nittany Lions can still earn the consolation prize of a trip to Pasadena with wins in their final two games at Beaver Stadium, starting Saturday against Big Ten bottom-feeder Indiana.

Penn State was ranked third in the Top 25 and the BCS standings heading into Iowa last Saturday. With two home games on the horizon to close out their schedule, the Nittany Lions appeared to have a strong shot of finishing in the top two with tough contests left for both top-ranked Alabama and No. 2 Texas Tech.

As it turns out, Penn State (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) won't have to worry about the results of the Crimson Tide or the Red Raiders. The Nittany Lions led 23-14 heading into the fourth quarter in Iowa City, but the Hawkeyes scored the game's final 10 points, including a 31-yard field goal with one second left, to pull off a shocking 24-23 upset.

"We need to keep our heads up. We can still have a heck of a year," coach Joe Paterno said. "We can't start moaning about this one."

The Lions' loss was strikingly similar to the last time Paterno had a team 9-0 and poised to make a national championship run. Ranked second at the time, Penn State was heavily favored to beat Minnesota on Nov. 6, 1999, but lost 24-23 on a 32-yard field goal as time expired.

That sent the Lions into a three-game tailspin to close the regular season, something Paterno is determined to avoid considering two more wins will send his team to its first Rose Bowl since 1994.

"It's hard for me to remember exactly why we weren't able to get that club to regroup and go on and win some games," he said. "I do know we obviously took a real flop, and we're going to try to prevent that (this time)."

Paterno's 1999 squad had to face a Top 25 Michigan team the following week, but the 2008 Nittany Lions have reeling Indiana (3-7, 1-5) coming in off its third 30-point loss in conference play.

A week after losing at home to Central Michigan, Indiana gave up 601 yards of total offense to Wisconsin last Saturday, letting a four-point halftime deficit snowball into a 55-20 loss.

The Hoosiers are averaging 16.5 points in six Big Ten games, which ranks 105th in the nation. The 38.7 points per game they've given up in conference play rank 106th.

Penn State is averaging a league-best 39.9 points, but after averaging 45.4 points in its first eight games, the offense has disappeared at critical moments in its last two contests. The Lions have scored 36 points total against Ohio State and Iowa, and quarterback Daryll Clark has especially struggled.

Clark, who suffered a concussion late in the game against the Buckeyes, is 21-for-43 for 207 yards without a touchdown the past two weeks, and he managed just 86 yards passing at Iowa. His interception with Penn State holding a two-point lead late in the fourth allowed the Hawkeyes to drive for the game-winning field goal.

"I guess I have some soul searching to do," said Clark, who has only two touchdowns in his past five games after throwing nine in his first five. "I'm going back to the drawing board. I'm extra ready, and hopefully everything will change up."

The Hoosiers, meanwhile, aren't sure who their quarterback will be Saturday. Ben Chappell was knocked out of the Wisconsin game with a head injury, and backup Kellen Lewis - who has played in 32 career games - played but has been dealing with a nagging ankle sprain.

The Lions have never lost to Indiana in 11 meetings, including a 36-31 win in Bloomington last season. Lewis threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns for the Hoosiers.