Finding just five plays that defined the last decade of SEC football is no easy task. In fact, it’s one of the toughest feats.

Players and coaches defined the last decade for the conference, and it’s easy to see why its stranglehold on the rest of college football is quite evident. Just turn on your TV on Sundays and watch NFL games. Former SEC players are everywhere.

Only one of the following five plays you will immediately think about, but I sought out to think much bigger picture than just memorable plays that won games; I sought to recall plays that actually shaped the last decade and had a domino affect.

Here goes nothing…

Wilson incomplete to Stover

After receiving a vote of confidence several weeks prior by then athletic director Mal Moore, Mike Shula lost three straight games to close the 2006 season, including to rival Auburn. The one play that stands out that eventually got him fired after losing to the Tigers was the fourth-and-15 from Auburn’s 18 yard-line. Down seven points with five minutes left, Shula sent out the field goal team but called timeout to rethink his decision. Down a touchdown, his only option was going for it. Quarterback John Parker Wilson’s pass to receiver Nikita Stover fell incomplete in the end zone.

Shula was fired after the loss to Auburn; Nick Saban was hired, and the rest is complete history. Saban rebuilt Alabama and has won three national championships and three SEC Championships since 2007. Wilson’s incomplete pass to Stover helped start the dominos for Alabama to go on an unprecedented run in college football.

Kick-Six

Twenty five years from now, we’ll still be sitting around talking about the Kick-Six and its effect on college football. It was the night that the best regular season in sports stood still, and it’s one of the top plays you think of in SEC football history. From Nick Saban begging for one second to be put back on the clock to Chris Davis’ return that sent an earthquake through Auburn, this play will go down as one of the greatest in any era. Of course, the win helped propel Auburn to an SEC Championship and play in the BCS National Championship against Florida State, a game the Tigers ended up losing in dramatic fashion.

McElroy to Peek

Perhaps this play may not stand out, but the effects have been critical in helping define the SEC over the last decade. During the 2009 SEC Championship Game against Florida, Alabama QB Greg McElroy hit TE Colin Peek on a picture perfect 17-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter that essentially put the nail in the coffin for the Gators. Alabama dismantled Florida 32-13, and that touchdown made it 26-13. Alabama never looked back. And since the 2009 SEC Championship, Alabama has won three BCS National Championships and appeared in the first-ever College Football Playoff after winning the SEC Championship in 2014. It’s been a decade of football defined and molded by the state of Alabama.

Jarvis Moss’ blocked kick

Perhaps the biggest domino that helped the SEC dominate the BCS era was Jarvis Moss’ blocked field goal against South Carolina’s Ryan Succop. It helped propel Florida to a 17-16 victory over the Gamecocks, and furthermore, it helped Florida win an SEC Championship and an eventual BCS National Championship against Ohio State. With Florida eventually throttling OSU, it helped the SEC dominate the BCS era. The conference went on to win seven straight BCS Championships, and Florida was the first team to get the ball rolling. While Jarvis Moss’ incredible blocked kick with :08 remaining on the clock gets all the headlines, let’s not forget that he also blocked a PAT earlier in the game on South Carolina’s go-ahead touchdown 16-10.

Terrance Cody blocked field goal

Nick Saban successfully completed his first perfect season at Alabama in 2009, and it never would have happened had Terrance Cody not blocked two field goals against Tennessee. In fact, the game was decided by field goals, as Alabama made four of them compared to Tennessee’s one field goal and one lone touchdown. But it all came down to Daniel Lincoln’s 44-yard attempt with :04 on the clock. As history tells us, Lincoln’s field goal was blocked by Mt. Cody, helping Alabama to victory. With the blocked field goal, Alabama kept its perfect season intact and went on to win an SEC Championship over Florida and BCS National Championship over Texas. 2009 started Alabama’s dominance, dismantling Urban Meyer’s Gators in Atlanta. The Crimson Tide have won three championships under Saban since ’09, including a berth in the 2014 College Football Playoff.