J.T. Barrett and Ezekiel Elliott 2015

Quarterback J.T. Barrett (left) is back among the Buckeyes top players for 2016. Running back Ezekiel Elliott (right) is one of the many gone from the list of the best Buckeyes a year ago.

(Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Consider a two-year starter returning at safety.

Let's say he was coming off a defensive MVP award in the National Championship and was entering his third year as a starter.

Let's say he was the fourth-leading tackler from the year before, had ranked in the top 10 in the Big Ten in interceptions and had been chosen as a team captain for the upcoming season.

That was Tyvis Powell a year ago, entering 2015 for Ohio State.

We ranked him as our No. 15 Buckeye entering that season. If that same player, with that same resume and same potential was back this season, he would be No. 4 on our list of the top 50 Buckeyes.

No. 15 last year.

No. 4 this year.

Not that any Ohio State fan didn't know this, but our exercise naming the top 50 Buckeyes heading into the 2015 season drew a particularly stark contrast between the veteran talent a year ago and the OSU talent now.

Then - much.

Now - little.

We didn't do a separate list of top Buckeyes last year, but we did compile our list of the 50 best players in the Big Ten entering the 2015 season and Ohio State landed 15 players in that group of 50.

Here were our rankings then, with their overall Big Ten ranking in parentheses.

1. Joey Bosa (1)

2. Ezekiel Elliott (2)

3. Taylor Decker (4)

4. J.T. Barrett (5)

5. Braxton Miller (7)

6. Darron Lee (10)

7. Cardale Jones (11)

8. Pat Elflein (15)

9. Michael Thomas (16)

10 .Vonn Bell (23)

11. Jalin Marshall (31)

12. Joshua Perry (35)

13. Raekwon McMillan (36)

14. Adolphus Washington (37)

15. Tyvis Powell (48)

Notice who's not on that list?

Cornerback Eli Apple, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Apple went from not making our top 15 Buckeyes a year ago to the No. 10 overall available player in college football, according to the guys handing out the money.

But the comparison here is, pardon the pun, apples to apples -- the Buckeyes entering 2015 to the Buckeyes entering 2016. A year ago as a redshirt sophomore going into his second year as a starter, Apple was pretty fairly placed among his teammates.

The talent and experience combo on the 2015 roster was that great.

This year, only the top three Buckeyes on our list -- J.T. Barrett, Pat Elflein and Raekwon McMillan -- would definitely rank ahead of 2015 Apple.

Few teams bring back the kind of veteran talent the Buckeyes did a year ago. Most bring back more than what Ohio State is offering this year - Phil Steele's preseason college football magazine analyzed the Buckeyes as the least experienced team in the nation.

Our No. 9 player entering this season is Noah Brown, a redshirt sophomore receiver who is expected to be the Buckeyes' top target but has barely played and has one career reception.

Our No. 9 player entering last year was Michael Thomas, Ohio State's returning No. 1 receiver who was coming off a season of 54 catches and nine touchdowns in 2014.

That's your difference.

As you prepare to watch the Buckeyes this season, don't forget that.

Ohio State top 50 players