It's foolish to place hordes of stock in college football preseason watch lists — the number of players recognized in the heat of the summer mainly just serve as a mini plate of hors d'oeuvres for fans drooling on themselves as they wait for kickoff.
The talent that is noted, however, does serve as a bit of a barometer for teams across the country. Those players mentioned on watch lists don't always pan out and have great seasons, but the organizations that decide who is on them know their way around college football.
Ohio State returns 15 starters from a team that won its first national championship under Urban Meyer in 2014. An improbable run as it was, the Buckeyes return such a loaded roster they're the attractive choice to win it all again in 2015.
And watch lists have taken notice. Four Buckeyes were named to the watch list for the Maxwell Award (nation's best player), while five others found their names on the watch list for the Bronco Nagurski Trophy (national defensive player of the year).
Below is a breakdown of the watch least for each preseason award released last week, with each of the Big Ten contingents on each.
Paul Hornung Award Watch List (Nation's Most Versatile Player, 44 Players Named)
OHIO STATE: Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson
MICHIGAN STATE: R.J. Shelton
ILLINOIS: V'Angelo Bentley
NEBRASKA: De'Mornay Pierson-El
MARYLAND: William Likely
RUTGERS: Janarion Grant
Maxwell Award Watch List (Nation's Best Player, 80 Players Named)
OHIO STATE: Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett, Ezekiel Elliott
PENN STATE: Christian Hackenberg, DaeSean Hamilton
INDIANA: Nate Sudfield
MICHIGAN STATE: Connor Cook
NEBRASKA: Tommy Armstrong Jr.
NORTHWESTERN: Justin Jackson
RUTGERS: Leonte Carroo
WISCONSIN: Corey Clement
Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List (Nation's Best Defensive Player, 82 Players Named)
OHIO STATE: Joey Bosa, Joshua Perry
MICHIGAN STATE: Shilique Calhoun, Ed Davis
MINNESOTA: Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Eric Murray
WISCONSIN: Vince Biegel, Michael Calhoun
MARYLAND: William Likely
NEBRASKA: Maliek Collins
PENN STATE: Anthony Zettel
RUTGERS: Darius Hamilton
Rimington Award Watch List (Nation's Best Center, 65 Players Named)
OHIO STATE: Jacoby Boren
PENN STATE: Angelo Mangiro
WISCONSIN: Dan Voltz
MICHIGAN STATE: Jack Allen
IOWA: Austin Blythe
PURDUE: Robert Kugler
John Mackey Award Watch List (Nation's Best Tight End, 33 Players Named)
OHIO STATE: Nick Vannett
MICHIGAN: Jake Butt
PENN STATE: Kyle Carter
IOWA: Jake Duzey
MICHIGAN STATE: Josiah Price
Ray Guy Award Watch List (Nation's Best Punter, 25 Players Named)
OHIO STATE: Cameron Johnston
MINNESOTA: Peter Mortell
Bronko Nagurski Award Watch List (National Defensive Player of the Year, 88 Players Named)
OHIO STATE: Vonn Bell, Joey Bosa, Darron Lee, Joshua Perry, Adolphus Washington
MINNESOTA: Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Eric Murray
PENN STATE: Jordan Lucas, Anthony Zettel
WISCONSIN: Vince Biegel, Michael Caputo
IOWA: Drew Ott
MARYLAND: William Likely
MICHIGAN STATE: Shilique Calhoun
NEBRASKA: Maliek Collins
Outland Trophy Watch List (Nation's Best Interior Lineman, 81 Players Named)
OHIO STATE: Taylor Decker, Pat Elflein, Adolphus Washington
MICHIGAN STATE: Jack Allen, Jack Conklin
INDIANA: Dan Feeney
IOWA: Austin Blythe
NEBRASKA: Maliek Collins
RUTGERS: Darius Hamilton
WISCONSIN: Dan Voltz
These totals are based off the watch lists that have already been released, but there are still a few others to be announced this week. Among them include the Jim Thorpe, Butkus, Biletnikoff and Davey O'Brien Awards.
More Buckeyes are bound to show up on those lists, as well, with the surplus of talent on currently on roster and love from analysts being ever present.
"I do believe this year's team is even stronger than the 2014 version," college football savant Phil Steele said. "And, unlike last summer when the QB depth was questioned by many, they now have three quarterbacks who have either been a Heisman contender or led the team to a national title."
The talent gap between Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten is also tangible, especially with regards to archrival Michigan. Ohio State had a player listed on recently release watch lists 19 times. Michigan had one.
Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod delved into this discrepancy further over here, and DJ mentioned it in Sunday's Skull Session.
The Buckeyes are set to be loaded this year, and most everyone knows it.
