Narrowing the choices down from dozens of great candidates to four was not easy, but the finalists for college football play of the year have been made, and now it's your turn to decide which wins.
Jog your memory by watching and reading about the memorable plays below, then cast a vote for your favorite by tweeting the hashtag #PlayOfTheYear with the school's name. (#PlayOfTheYear Arkansas, #PlayOfTheYear Kansas, #PlayOfTheYear LSU or #PlayOfTheYear Nebraska.)
Based on your tweets, the winner will be announced during Thursday's Home Depot College Football Awards Show (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET).
Without further ado, here are the finalists, with descriptions of the plays from the players, coaches and reporters who were there.
Jordan Westerkamp goes behind his back
The play: In Nebraska's Aug. 30 season opener against Florida Atlantic, receiver Jordan Westerkamp caught a ball behind his back. We still don't know quite how he did it.
Nebraska wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp reached behind his back to grab a pass from Huskers QB Tommy Armstrong Jr.
In his own words
Westerkamp: "It was all luck."
In his coach's words
Bo Pelini: “That one’s hard to explain. To even have the wherewithal to put your hands back there, it’s amazing. I’ve always said that he catches everything that’s near him.”
In a witness' words
Mitch Sherman, ESPN.com: Nebraska led 31-7 in the third quarter of its season opener, so little did the crowd at Memorial Stadium expect to witness the most memorable catch of the game -- and probably the entire season -- when Tommy Armstrong Jr. took a shotgun snap on third-and-6.
His throw sailed toward the east sideline past midfield in front of the Nebraska bench. FAU defensive back Christian Milstead went horizontal and leaped to tip the football, which changed direction and found the moving hands of Westerkamp -- behind his back. He nimbly kept both feet in-bounds.
It left thousands in the stadium wondering if they actually just saw what they thought they saw. Even the officials weren’t sure; they stopped the next play for a review. When the HuskerVision screens displayed a replay of the catch, the crowd roared as loudly as the first time. Yes, that really happened.
Trick play turns into a big-guy touchdown pass
The play: In a game against UAB on Oct. 25, Arkansas attempted a fourth-and-goal play on which it lined up Sebastian Tretola under center. Tretola is a 6-foot-5, 350-pound offensive lineman. And he threw it to a ... wait for it ... long snapper. It was a proud moment for big guys everywhere, including former Kentucky QB Jared Lorenzen.
Leonard Fournette run for 22 yds for a TD
In his own words
Tretola: “We ran the play, and he snapped me the ball, and everything went slow motion from there. I have a whole newfound respect for Brandon Allen, you know what, because it gets hectic back there. I mean, D’Appollonio got open, and I made the throw. It was nuts. When I initially threw the ball, I thought I missed it, you know, because of the crowd. You kind of listen to the crowd, so I didn't know if I got it, but they gradually started getting louder, and I was like, 'All right, I got it, I got it,' and it worked out. It was a great feeling.”
In his coach's words
Bret Bielema: “Come to Arkansas ... if you’re [an offensive] lineman, we’ll make you famous.”
In a witness' words
Robbie Neiswanger, Arkansas News Bureau: It’s not unusual for Arkansas to try something different under Bret Bielema. He’s only been in Fayetteville for two years but has reached into his bag of tricks numerous times. But no one imagined one of his offensive linemen would throw a pass. That’s what makes guard Sebastian Tretola’s touchdown toss to long snapper Alan D’Appollonio one of those plays you’ll never forget. I remember watching players shift into a swinging gate formation, which was something Arkansas has done before. Then I remember seeing someone shift into the backfield for a shotgun snap. It was only after the touchdown toss -- and after jumping up from my seat in the press box to get a closer look at the replay on the nearest monitor -- that I truly pieced together what happened. Tretola was the quarterback. And he threw a pass. I guess in the end we should’ve known Bielema, a proud and vocal proponent of offensive linemen, would be the mastermind behind a big-guy touchdown pass.
A circus catch in Lawrence
The play: Tip drill! In a game that looked for a while like it could shake up the college football landscape, Kansas took a stunning 27-17 lead on an equally stunning 78-yard touchdown catch-and-run, on which KU receiver Nigel King not only tipped the ball to himself several times but also somehow stayed in bounds while doing so.
In his own words
King: “My biggest focus on that ball that was tipped was to keep my feet in bounds because I felt like the defenders took the ball out-of-bounds. When I realized that I could catch the ball and possibly score, I was focusing on keeping my feet in bounds and catching the ball at the same time. One thing that I can say that’s helped me a lot is that coach has a saying: ‘To catch with our eyes and not with our hands.’ Looking the ball in is what helps the most."
In his coach's words
Clint Bowen: Yeah, you know, he continues to do that. I think that's going on about four weeks in a row it seems like Nigel and Michael have hooked up on a big play. Nigel continues to compete and make plays for us. He's been a big positive for us."
In a witness' words
Jake Trotter, ESPN.com: I never thought Kansas had any chance to beat TCU -- until that incredible play. There had been a series of breaks that had gone the way of the Jayhawks in the first half, but you never really felt TCU was in danger or had lost control until King pulled off that catch. The thing is, Kansas actually recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff return. Had the Jayhawks capitalized there, too -- they didn't -- they probably would have pulled off the upset of the year in college football.
Leonard Fournette, Human Bulldozer
The play: LSU freshman running back Leonard Fournette entered the season as the nation's No. 1 recruit. He showed flashes of brilliance throughout the fall, but no more so than when he bowled over a Texas A&M defender on Thanksgiving at Kyle Field.
In his own words
Fournette: “It felt great. It felt normal.”
In his coach's words
Les Miles: “I would get out of the way if Leonard were running at me.”
In a witness' words
Sam Khan Jr., ESPN.com: The soon-to-be-demolished press box at Kyle Field is pretty high, so I almost always try to have a pair of binoculars on hand so I can get a closer look at the action during Texas A&M home games. On Thanksgiving night, what Fournette did within the scope of my viewfinder on my pair of Bushnells was something I’ve never seen a 19-year-old do before.
When Fournette broke through the large hole on the left side of the line of scrimmage, it was clear a big gain was ahead. But when he lowered his head and ran through senior safety Howard Matthews, all I could say was “Oh, wow!” I try not to make too much noise in a press box, but this was a rare exception. I couldn’t help myself. There were some “Whoas!” and “Wows” and “Ooohs” among the assorted media. Some could have injured their necks with the speed they turned their heads to spot the nearest TV monitor to view the replay. There were also grimaces and audible sympathy for Matthews, a known hard-hitter himself, for being victimized by the seemingly super-human Fournette.
As I searched for proper terms to describe Fournette’s feat for the Twitterverse, I arrived on “grown man,” “beastly” and “truck stick” before quickly searching for the replay clip to share with those who might have missed it and reiterate he is a true freshman. After the game, LSU safety Jamal Adams simply made a face and a sound when I asked for his reaction. That was all that needed to be said.