University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema and Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald have a lot in common.

They are Illinois natives, with Bielema growing up in Prophetstown and Fitzgerald hailing from Orland Park.

They went on to successful playing careers in the Big Ten Conference, Bielema as a nose tackle at Iowa and Fitzgerald as a linebacker at Northwestern. Bielema was part of one Big Ten title team with the Hawkeyes in 1990. Fitzgerald won Big Ten titles with the Wildcats in 1995 and '96.

They coached linebackers early in their coaching careers and quickly developed reputations as top recruiters.

They also became head coaches for the first time in 2006.

Yet, it's their age that seems to bond them more than anything else. They remain two of the youngest head coaches at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

Fitzgerald, 34, was second-youngest entering the season, behind Tennessee's Lane Kiffin, who is seven months younger. Bielema, 39, ranks sixth on the list.

"We do share a little bit more of age similarities than me and JoePa," Bielema said of Penn State's Joe Paterno, who is 82. "People are going to naturally draw that (comparison)."

Or, as Fitzgerald put it: "We're both part of the Atari generation. Atari (video games) came out when we were growing up."

So, it was only natural Bielema and Fitzgerald connected as coaches in the first years in their respective jobs. It helped that they didn't have to face each other the past two seasons. It's easier for opposing coaches to remain friends when they don't face each other.

The only time the two met as head coaches came in 2006, when the Badgers won 41-9 at Camp Randall Stadium. Bielema was the defensive coordinator for the Badgers' last trip to Evanston, Ill., in 2005, when the Wildcats won 51-48.

"It was one of my most somber days as a defensive coordinator," Bielema said of the Wildcats rolling up 674 yards of offense.

Said Fitzgerald: "Last meeting we obviously didn't play very well up there and their last trip here, I think anyone on the defensive side of the ball was wishing that they weren't."

Fitzgerald and Bielema spoke about the rivalry between the schools, which has been hampered by gaps in the series. The teams have split their last 10 games, as well as their last 20.

"They're two programs built on foundations of respect for each other," Fitzgerald said.

The Wildcats have won three of four to improve to 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the conference. They can tie the Badgers in the final standings with a victory, which means they could also be vying for the same bowl game.

To add to the drama, defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, who was fired by Bielema after the 2007 season and quickly snapped up by Fitzgerald for the same job, will get his first crack at the Badgers.

"(Hankwitz) is an absolutely wonderful human being," Bielema said. "Him and his family spent (two years) in Madison and gave us a lot of wins, which we are very grateful for.

"But I know he'll probably want to get this win just as bad as anything on their schedule this year and has every reason to feel that way."

Northwestern will be bidding farewell to 21 seniors who have helped the program become bowl-eligible for the fourth time in five years.

After finishing 9-4 last year, it was important for Fitzgerald to build on that success, which he has done.

"This is one of the best two-year runs we've had in our program's history," he said. "We're not where we want to be but we're getting closer and closer."

Bielema is on record saying more coaching relationships are ruined over recruiting than anything that happens on the field. Given the academic requirements at UW and Northwestern, they tend to battle over many of the same players.

"I'm not saying that we're perfect angels in recruiting, but it has gotten a little nasty out there," Bielema said.

Fitzgerald believes "without a doubt," his relationship with Bielema will withstand whatever happens down the road.

"We're going to do our battles on the field and we're going to do our battles on the recruiting field," he said. "At the end of the day, if you've got that foundation of respect, I think relationships can way outlast some wins and losses."

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