Urban Meyer vs. Nick Saban. Ohio State vs. Alabama. Big Ten vs. SEC.

Last year’s College Football Playoff semifinals brought us some tremendous story lines as well as an entertaining football game.

A significant underdog, Ohio State won, 42-35, on the way to a national championship.

The Buckeyes return an unfair amount of talent, losing almost nobody (WR Devin Smith and TE Jeff Heuerman were the only players drafted in the first three rounds). Returning for Ohio State are DE Joey Bosa, RB Ezekiel Elliott, QB/WR Braxton Miller, QB J.T. Barrett and QB Cardale Jones.

Alabama is the SEC West favorite, according to the media. Ohio State is a strong contender to repeat as national champions. So what would happen if the Tide and Buckeyes met again in the College Football Playoff?

According to one respected oddsmaker, Ohio State would be a 3.5-point favorite today on a neutral field.

That’s significant considering Alabama has played 68 consecutive games as a betting favorite. Danny Sheridan is a respected college football handicapper, so it’s not like Paul Finebaum is throwing out a number based on an edgy “Vegas expert” trying to make a name for himself.

The proclamation that Alabama would be a significant underdog against Ohio State right now comes just days after Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports revealed a deep analysis of the Tide and Buckeyes rosters.

His conclusion? If the two teams combined, just seven Bama players would make the starting lineup out of 22.

Two of those seven are offensive lineman — center Ryan Kelly and left tackle Cam Robinson — while the majority reside in the defensive front seven: A’Shawn Robinson, Jonathan Allen, Jarran Reed, Reggie Ragland and Cyrus Jones.

If the Buckeyes are significantly better than the Tide entering 2015, does the SEC have a very good chance of winning a national championship in 2015?