COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State 2015 is Ohio State 2005.

Both teams aimed squarely at the national championship and fell short, knocked off by a title contender. In 2005, Ohio State's first loss was to eventual national champion Texas, in 2015 it was to playoff-bound Michigan State, which has a chance to win it all.

Both teams were stocked with NFL talent, the 2005 Buckeyes sending five players onto the first round of the next NFL Draft: linebacker A.J. Hawk, safety Donte Whitner, linebacker Bobby Carpenter, receiver Santonio Holmes and center Nick Mangold.

Between these 2015 Buckeyes, take your pick of the group that could give Ohio State another five-player first round: defensive end Joey Bosa, running back Ezekiel Elliott, left tackle Taylor Decker, receiver Michael Thomas, safety Vonn Bell, defensive tackle Adolphus Washington and linebacker Darron Lee.

The farewell for both teams was Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, Golden Domes in the desert the consolation prize.

The question now: Can Ohio State 2016 be Ohio State 2006?

Each bowl is both the end of one season and the start of another.

The story about the 2015 Buckeyes has been written, the final chapter against Michigan State, the epilogue against Michigan. What happens in the bowl won't change the theme, that the uber-talented Buckeyes missed this chance. Just like in 2005, the Buckeyes must be at peace with that.

"Things happen for a reason, and for some reason or another, we weren't meant to win that game," A.J. Hawk said after the 2005 season of the Texas game, a phrase that may as well have been uttered by a 2015 Buckeye about Michigan State. "Maybe someone, somewhere wanted to set up this Ohio State-Notre Dame matchup."

So what happens on Jan. 1 will mean one thing for seniors like Decker and Joshua Perry and departing underclassmen like Bosa and Elliott, and another for the veterans back in 2016 and the current backups who will take over starting roles next year.

It's nice to send guys out with a win. It's another to start the next season with a win.

"You're judged a lot on how you finish," said co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, the only coach on the staff in both 2005 and 2015. "As you go into your winter conditioning, having a great feeling about what you're doing is a big part of it."

The 10-2 Ohio State team from 2005 lost 12 starters, five first-rounders (most in the country) and nine total draft picks. It turned out that team was just setting up 2006, which featured Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith and took a No. 1 ranking and undefeated record through the regular season while twice beating the No. 2 team in the nation.

The exodus is coming for the 2015 Buckeyes, who will lose between 12 and 14 starters and probably more than those nine total draft picks from a decade ago.

But the 2016 Buckeyes will also feature a quarterback with Heisman possibilities in J.T. Barrett. Depending on who else returns and who else wins jobs, you wonder what other comparisons you might find from 2016 to 2006:

Could Jalin Marshall emerge as a No. 1 receiver like Ted Ginn Jr.?

Could Damon Webb turn into a young playmaker in the secondary like Malcolm Jenkins?

Could Sam Hubbard become a pass-rushing star like Vernon Gholston while taking a full-time starting role for the first time?

Could Jamarco Jones step in as a young left tackle like Alex Boone?

The best illustration of Ohio State's ability to lose stars and find stars from the 2005 to 2006 transition comes at linebacker, where Hawk and Carpenter were first-round picks after 2005 and middle linebacker Anthony Schlegel was a third-round pick.

Waiting? James Laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman and Ross Homan.

"The concern is did those young guys take advantage of what the guys in front of them did and did they see the ways to be successful?" Fickell said, reflecting on that transition. "The reality is those were mature kids. They watched, they learned and they took from it. You didn't know what you had, but you knew you had great leaders who learned from the guys in front of them."

Now Fickell won't lose all three linebackers, knowing sophomore Raekwon McMillan will return in the middle. But with senior Perry gone and redshirt sophomore Darron Lee a real possibility to turn pro, he'll need one or two from the group of Dante Booker, Chris Worley and Jerome Baker to be as ready as that Laurinaitis crew.

"There are guys who are backups in the Chris Worleys. The Dante Bookers of the world are guys who are right there on that cusp and just need that opportunity," Fickell said. "Jerome Baker is a young guy that nobody knows a whole lot about, runs down on kickoffs, but has got a bright, bright future if he continues to learn from those guys in front of him."

So an end is upon us.

Many of those departing after 2005 had national title rings as young players on the 2002 team. All those departing after this season played major roles in Ohio State's National Championship in 2014.

In 2005, the OSU seniors were trying to reach 43-8 in their careers, tying the Ohio State mark for wins in a career. They got there. In 2015, in a world with one more regular-season game, a conference title game and a two-game playoff, the Ohio State seniors are trying to set a college football record by getting to 50 wins in four years, currently at 49-4.

Just like a decade ago, when Ohio State beat Charlie Weis, Brady Quinn and the Fighting Irish 34-20 in Jan. 2, 2006, you know what the players leaving have accomplished.

While fans may be thinking about what the Buckeyes are about to lose, they shouldn't look past what the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2016, could tell them about next season.

Beating Notre Dame isn't a bad way to get a team rolling.