BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Hoosiers had one night to celebrate their upset of Iowa.

By Sunday, it was back to work, and by Tuesday, it was time to go full bore at their next big challenge of the season: Playing No. 1 Ohio State.

“It’s rewarding any time you work hard for something and you see it pay off,” safety Will Meyers said. “But you’re in Sunday morning watching film of the No. 1 team in the nation, so you don’t have much time to enjoy it.”

The Hoosiers (4-3, 2-1) may have preferred taking another week to savor the school’s biggest upset since 1987, but the schedule-makers weren’t so kind.

Instead, they’re sending Indiana to Columbus, Ohio, this week for its biggest test of the season. Most figure it will take a mistake-free game just to keep it close, much less win.

Ohio State has a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Troy Smith, a defense that annually ranks among the nation’s best, and a return game that includes the always dangerous Ted Ginn Jr.

Indiana must also overcome another hurdle. In 13 previous meetings against top-ranked teams, Indiana has never won. The last time they faced a No. 1 team, Ohio State beat them 38-7 in Bloomington in 1998.

The Hoosiers heard a similar story-line last week and still managed to produce their biggest upset since 1987. Even Terry Hoeppner tempered his businesslike approach temporarily Tuesday to reflect on the significance of beating Iowa 31-28.

“I think it’s inspiring to get some confirmation of what you’re doing is working,” Hoeppner said during his weekly news conference. “It’s tangible. You can see it, you can feel it with the team.”

But Iowa is not Ohio State, and the Hoosiers need every advantage they can get to extend their two-game winning streak.

They’ve already shown they can defy the odds.

In the last two weeks, Indiana has ended a a Big Ten road losing streak that dated to 2001, and won back-to-back conference games for the first time in five years.