Bret Bielema was 36 years old when he became head football coach at Wisconsin.
Curt Cignetti was 63 when Indiana University gave him his first head coaching job in a power conference.
They will face each other the first time Saturday at Memorial Stadium when the 19th-ranked Hoosiers take on No. 9 Illinois. Bielema is in his fifth season with the Illini.
"Really never met him until I joined the conference," Cignetti said Monday at his weekly news conference. "He was very welcoming. Always had a lot of respect for him as a coach.
"He was a head coach at a very young age and has really had some nice teams. And he's done a great job at Illinois and they're (fundamentally sound) and you can see the coaching show up on tape."
Illinois was 10-3 last season and returns a veteran roster.
"And that's the one thing about Illinois, they know what it takes, (with) the success they had last year," Cignetti said. "(They return) a good nucleus of guys and added some new ones. Very much like us, good core return that understands what it takes. So it ought to be a great match-up."
The game is sold out and will be on NBC in primetime on national television.
"I'm always focused in on the game regardless," Cignetti said. "So for me it doesn't really change much. It's a nationally televised game, NBC. It's going to be a great environment and I know our players will be excited."