Sure, the Illini’s upcoming game at Northwestern will be important. Among other things, earning an elusive sixth win and bowl eligibility will be at stake.

But there’s another factor that sets this particular matchup apart from the rest. As linebacker Brit Miller explained, it concerns the Wildcats’ 33-year-old head coach, Pat Fitzgerald.

“We always joke we think he might be the only coach that could take Coach Zook in a fight in the Big Ten,” Miller said.

Given the two coaches’ football playing experience, the comparison is not surprising. Like Miller, Fitzgerald was a linebacker and played at Northwestern for four years, while Zook was a defensive back at Miami University.

The chance that the heat of competition will drive the two coaches into a sparring match is just about zero, but what will take place at Ryan Field on Saturday is sure to be a fight.

Fitzgerald would know better than anyone. After playing for the Wildcats from 1993-96, the Orland Park, Ill., native returned to his alma mater in 2006, and was appointed head coach after the sudden passing of Randy Walker.

Fitzgerald said, during his time in Evanston, Ill., playing the rival Illini for the “Sweet Sioux Tomahawk” has consistently been a struggle.

“It’s always a battle, they’re always 60-minute football games,” Fitzgerald said. “There’s nothing but the utmost respect, I believe, between two universities here within the great state of Illinois.”

For Northwestern, a win against Illinois would put them at 9-3, their best regular season finish since 1996 when Fitzgerald and the Wildcats won their second straight Big Ten title.

“They’re a very talented team, and it’s a very difficult challenge for us this week,” Fitzgerald said.

On the other side, the Illini are treading water, and desperately need a win – not just for a bowl berth, but also to avoid the dubious distinction of being the first team since 1965 to have a losing season after playing in the Rose Bowl.

“Football’s a funny game,” Zook said. “The difference with us last year and this year is we were making some plays that we’re not making this year.”

A winner will emerge from the football-related combat on the field this weekend, but the question remains: who would win the Zook-Fitzgerald fight?

“I think Coach Fitzgerald’s more of a ground-and-pound guy, where Coach Zook might be a stick-and-jab,” a light-hearted Miller said. “Who knows?”