This year's team is hoping to drink the wine from three seasons ago as opposed to the vintage nine years old.

All three teams suffered devastating, last-second defeats as their first losses. Last week, the Nittany Lions fell to Iowa. In 2005, it was Michigan. And in 1999, Minnesota delivered the blow. Each time, their national championship hopes were crushed.

In 2005, a 6-1 team rebounded to win its final five games. But in 1999, Penn State lost in its 10th contest, like this year, and then tanked in the final two games of the regular season. Nine years later, Penn State is eerily in the same situation, having lost to an underdog by the same score, 24-23, on a field goal.

But there are differences, and they seem to favor the Lions' tasting 2005's successes instead.

For one, rather than having to play a top team as its follow-up foe, such as Michigan in 1999, Penn State, in hosting Indiana today, has a lowly opponent, such as Illinois in 2005. And even if the Illini were as awful as the Hoosiers are today, the leaders from three years ago were poised enough to cede no mercy in an eventual 63-10 rout.

"A lot of us played as freshmen on that 2005 team," cornerback Lydell Sargeant said. "So we've had a chance to see how the guys got the troops back together."

The parallels among now, 2005 and 1999 have not been lost on Joe Paterno. The Penn State coach, though, feels this group has a makeup closer to that of the 2005 team, which won the Orange Bowl and finished third in the country, as opposed to the 1999 team, which won the lesser Alamo Bowl and was ranked 11th.

"That was a different kind of cast of characters," Paterno said of the 1999 team. "We had more superstars. We had the first and second guy drafted."

Defensive end Courtney Brown went No. 1 and linebacker LaVar Arrington No. 2. There aren't likely any potential first-round picks from this year's seniors. Paterno has said the distractions from having top NFL prospects may have led to the 1999 team's undoing.

"There was a lot that was said that the '99 team, once they had suffered that loss, for the rest of the season, it kind of played out that the guys became individuals and not a team," quarterback Daryll Clark said.

Still, when opposing teams smell blood, they start to circle. Indiana (3-7 overall, 1-5 Big Ten) is no longer bowl-eligible and has almost nothing to lose against seventh-ranked Penn State (9-1, 5-1).

"I think everybody will be tough for us right now, because when you get licked, people get encouraged," Paterno said.

The Hoosiers, who were 7-6 last season and reached the Insight Bowl, have been decimated by injuries. Thirteen starters have missed at least one game. Three defensive backs have torn anterior cruciate ligaments. Indiana was down to its fourth-string quarterback by the end of Saturday's 55-20 loss to Wisconsin.

Starting quarterback Kellen Lewis has battled an ankle sprain all season, but Ben Chappell is expected to be ready despite suffering a concussion last week.

"We've had guys hurt in games," Indiana coach Bill Lynch said. "We've had guys hurt in practice. We've had guys hurt on different surfaces, whether it was on grass or turf."

The biggest loss was to the draft. Wide receiver James Hardy, now with the Buffalo Bills , torched the Lions last season with 14 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Penn State, though, won, 36-31, for its 11th series win against no losses.

After playing four of their last five on the road, the Lions are home for the remainder of the season. It would seem the perfect opportunity for Penn State, a 35-point favorite, to return to its high-scoring ways.

"I don't think we need to," running back Evan Royster said. "I think we all want to. It would definitely boost our confidence level to go out and put up a bunch of points."

Contact staff writer Jeff McLane at 215-854-4745 or jmclane@phillynews.com.