Neither Ohio State's Luke Fickell nor Penn State's Tom Bradley entered the offseason expecting to be head coaches in 2011, but Saturday, the two will square off, both as interim head coaches, as the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions collide at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
In his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Bradley told reporters he and Fickell have talked about the odd circumstances since Bradley took over for the fired Joe Paterno last Wednesday night.
"He called yesterday, he asked how I was doing," Bradley said. "I kind of chuckled, he knew what I meant because he had the same thing [happen to him]."
Bradley then praised Fickell, calling him a friend and a "heck of a good person," before adding a quick comment Fickell had added in their conversation.
"He was laughing. He said that 'at least I got my start in May,' " Bradley said.
Fickell took over for former Buckeye coach Jim Tressel, who was forced out after an extra benefits scandal came under close scrutiny over the summer.