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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. | For the most part, I don't think there's anything useful in comparing this matchup with the one three years ago that left Urban Meyer a disheveled mess.

While there aren't many common threads from a personnel standpoint, some will make the argument that the Buckeyes still play in a slow conference that doesn't prepare them for the assault of speed they'll see from Clemson.

There's no doubt that Ohio State is supremely talented and fast. Late in the season, Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez told Kirk Herbstreit the Buckeyes are the best team he's seen in the Big Ten since 1990. That's high praise, for sure.