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How Barry Alvarez and Bret Bielema became best friends again

PHOENIX -- On a warm night each May, the Squaw Peak Lawn at the swanky Arizona Biltmore fills with a who's who in college football.

Last week's Fiesta Bowl Summit dinner drew coaches, athletic directors, commissioners, television executives and bowl representatives. At one table, Rich Rodriguez and Mark Dantonio, once Big Ten rivals in Michigan, shared a laugh. At another, Ohio State's Urban Meyer held court with Rutgers' Chris Ash and some of his other coaching disciples.

As the dinner ended and the participants sought sleep or the hospitality suites, Barry Alvarez and Bret Bielema left the lawn together, alongside Alvarez's wife, Cindy.