Top 5 college football plays of 2016

The college football regular season is now in the books, which makes this as good a time as any to look back on the most memorable highlight reel moments of 2016.

Here are the top five plays from college football this season:

5. Lamar Arrives

Lamar Jackson set record books ablaze this fall and quickly made Louisville games appointment television. After an eight touchdown debut against Charlotte, Jackson single-handedly obliterated Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. This run in particular became his season-long calling card, and spawned more than a few pieces of merchandise. Jackson made off with the Heisman Trophy three months later thanks to plays like this one.

4. The Dobbsnail Boot

For those unfamiliar with the storied history between Georgia and Tennessee, the title of this year’s Hail Mary is a dig at one of the Bulldogs' best wins in the series. Back in 2001, the No. 6 ranked Vols fell to the Dawgs when David Greene connected with Verron Haynes in the final minute to seal a 26-24 upset victory. The play itself was immortalized by Georgia’s late, great play-by-play man, Larry Munson. “We just stepped on their face with a hobnail boot and broke their nose!” Munson howled. “We just crushed their face!” he continued. Josh Dobbs flipped the script, as the Vols returned the favor 15 years later when he hooked up with Jauan Jennings on a 43-yard buzzer beater for the ages.

3. Tre’Davious White’s Circus Punt Return

The Bayou Bengals have had their fair share of dynamic returners over the years. Billy Cannon, Kevin Faulk, Patrick Peterson, and the Honey Badger all come to mind. Tre’Davious White may not leave Baton Rouge with any return records in tow, but he certainly has a touchdown trot that rivals Cannon’s Halloween gallop back in 1959. The sheer lunacy of retreating backward nearly 25 yards before turning it back upfield made this touchdown a must-watch for years to come.

2. Penn State Knocks Off The Buckeyes

Penn State’s surge from 2-2 to Big Ten champs was largely tied to this incredible special teams play against Ohio State on Oct. 22. The Buckeyes attempted to add to their four-point lead with just 4:39 remaining in the game, only for Penn State’s Marcus Allen to soar over the line and reject Tyler Durbin’s 45-yard attempt. Grant Haley quickly scooped up the football and turned the sellout crowd at Beaver Stadium in a seismic event. Penn State’s scoop-n-score TD catapulted the Nittany Lions to their first Big Ten Conference title in eight years and their first outright conference title since 1994.

1. Central Michigan Hail Mary

The Chips have a history of successful Hail Mary attempts, and are no stranger to the hook-and-lateral add-on that made this year’s legendary play possible. The play itself should never have happened, making this wacky last-second ending all the more memorable. Oklahoma State reeled off seven straight mid-season wins, which kept CMU in the headlines as the only resume line standing between the Pokes and a potential invite to the CFP. Equally shocking was CMU’s fall from grace following the program’s best win. After a 3-0 start, complete with their ranked win over Oklahoma State, the Chips proceeded to drop five conference games, including a three-point defeat to 3-9 Kent State. The officiating, the play itself, and the impact it had on both programs moving forward, made this the bizarre ending the highlight of the year.