COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The warning shot was delivered in person.

It wasn't subtle, less of a tap on Alabama's shoulder and more of a punch right in the mouth.

Ohio State announced not only that it was back as a legitimate powerhouse by knocking off Nick Saban's Crimson Tide on the first day of 2015 in the first College Football Playoff, it made it clear that it had every intention of becoming the No. 1 contender to dethrone the Saban dynasty and stake its claim as the nation's preeminent powerhouse.

And while dynasties obviously aren't built on a single game, and the Crimson Tide responded immediately by winning the national championship again one year later, that Sugar Bowl still stands as a pivotal turning point in what has suddenly become a legitimate argument.

In the span of a little more than four years, Urban Meyer has taken over a program that had a losing record in the season before he arrived and built the Buckeyes into a behemoth capable of standing toe to toe with the Crimson Tide -- and potentially elbowing them off the top of the mountain as the country's top program.

"Just look at before and after with Urban and what he's done," Todd McShay, ESPN Scouts Inc., director of college football scouting, said. "If you look at the previous couple of years and what he inherited -- Ohio State has obviously been a big NFL pipeline traditionally -- but what kind of happened to the talent level in those previous couple years was very obvious.

"Let's put it this way, two years ago I thought there was a massive, massive gap between Alabama's roster and Ohio State's. And now, I can honestly sit here and say I don't see any difference."

Chances to measure them head to head are few and far between, of course. But the Buckeyes and Tide once again have positioned themselves for another chance to settle the debate in the College Football Playoff. The current polls have them at No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation nearing the midway point of the season, spots that have become familiar for both since Saban and Meyer got their programs up to speed and positions they're every bit as likely to hold in the coming years.

And it was obviously no secret to Meyer what he was chasing nationally when he took over the Buckeyes -- or as he prepared for the Crimson Tide in the 2014 playoff.

"I've used Alabama [as a motivator]," Meyer said in the buildup up to that game. "I've used any team at the top of the mountain, I've used them. I've respectfully used them because they played very well. Every year they're in a championship hunt and I've used them.

"I knew at some point, if you're going to reach for the top, that you have to go through the top. And the last several years Alabama has certainly been at the top of college football."

Ohio State's Urban Meyer, right, said he used Nick Saban's Alabama program as a motivating tool. That was the goal and it looks as if Meyer and the Buckeyes have caught up with the Crimson Tide. Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports

The key for Meyer on Ohio State's ascent has been his staggering success as a recruiter. His tireless work ethic and affinity for searching for talent has always been a significant part of his success, right along with his masterful ability to motivate and a sharp offensive mind.

Taken individually, the Buckeyes have become even more of a national brand under Meyer on the recruiting trail and appear to be even taking their approach to a higher level with a potentially historic 2017 class that is No. 1 in the ESPN RecruitingNation rankings -- naturally one spot ahead of Alabama.

He has pushed all the right buttons to get the best out of his team in the biggest moments, with his perfect 19-0 record in true road games particularly useful in showing his skills in getting his message across to the Buckeyes. When the roster is pared down for travel and the environment is hostile, Meyer comes up each week with a slogan or mission statement to rally his team, keeping things fresh by continually providing new challenges.

And simply by bringing his power-spread offense to Ohio State, the program seemingly jumped light years ahead of where it was during a previous regime that was never accused of being overly innovative with the football.

Combined with the resources provided by one of the country's largest athletic departments, home-run coaching hires to fill out his staff and maybe even a little luck that the Big Ten was in the middle of a lull that may have helped him win an extra game or two when he arrived, Meyer has effectively provided the renovation on a historic powerhouse that simply needed a few upgrades.

"That Block O opens all the doors you need," co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said on signing day. "National championship and all those things help, but the reality is that that Block O and the history -- what it's done not just over a short period of time but a long period of time in my 14 years of recruiting, 20 years I say of being here -- you know, it's always going to open the doors for you.

"And then the job that [Meyer] does and the way he motivates us and obviously the emphasis he puts on recruiting and him doing it himself, that's what really sells."

And clearly the top prospects are buying it, which has provided the real indicator of Ohio State's staying power.

The truest test of it wasn't on Jan. 1, 2015. It's the way the Buckeyes have steamrollered through their first five games this season after losing a record-setting draft class -- one that included 12 overall selections with nine players leaving school early -- that strongly suggests they have reached that Alabama level of reloading instead of rebuilding.

"Being able to land the whatever-star prospects is one thing, but also it's identifying players that fit what you do but also that you can develop," McShay said. "Whatever their formula is, however they go about that, however Nick Saban goes about that or Urban Meyer goes about it -- they don't miss on a ton of guys they wind up recruiting and bring in. And then they develop them well.

"That's a compliment to what Ohio State has done. They have come so far, so fast."

And the Buckeyes no longer need to come from behind to tap on Alabama's shoulder.