Brett Favre, Terrell Owens Headline Pro Football Hall of Fame 2016 Nominees

The 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame class won't be revealed until the eve of Super Bowl 50, but debate over the next group of legends to enter the hallowed halls in Canton, Ohio, can officially begin.

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), 108 modern-day finalists for the class of 2016 were revealed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday, headlined by first-time nominees Brett Favre and Terrell Owens.

The complete list of nominees, which can be viewed on the Hall of Fame's official website, includes 11 first-timers, including running backs Brian Westbrook and Clinton Portis, along with linebackers Keith Bulluck and Mike Vrabel.

Former safeties Lawyer Milloy and Darren Sharper also qualified, along with guard Alan Faneca, kicker John Carney and long snapper Ethan Albright.

A three-time NFL MVP, Favre ranks first in league history with 71,838 passing yards and No. 2 all-time with 508 passing touchdowns.

NFL.com's Elliot Harrison wrote about Favre's accomplishments:

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The headliner of the Class of 2016 will and should be Favre. Perhaps more striking than any of the myriad passing records he set—or his Cal Ripken-esque consecutive starts streak—are the three consecutive MVP awards he won in the mid-1990s. To be considered the best player in pro football three years in a row is not only impressive, but unmatched.

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Owens, meanwhile, cemented his legacy as one of the most physically dominant wide receivers of his generation over the course of 15 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.

When Owens finally hung it up, he finished with 15,934 receiving yards and 153 touchdown catches, marks that rank second and third all-time, respectively. His 1,078 receptions clock in at No. 6 in the league record book.

"When you look at T.O's record, I don't remember him ever getting in any real trouble off the field," Hall of Fame wide receiver James Lofton said, according to Harrison. "The biggest trouble he was was for the defense ... I thought he was a dominant player."

The list of 108 also includes finalists from last year who didn't receive the 80 percent approval rate necessary to qualify for induction this past summer.

Prominent figures in that group include coaches Tony Dungy and Jimmy Johnson, running back Terrell Davis, linebacker/defensive end Kevin Greene, wide receiver Marvin Harrison, quarterback Kurt Warner, offensive tackle Orlando Pace, kicker Morten Andersen and safety John Lynch.

In November, the group of 108 will shrink to 25 before it's cut to 15 come January. The final selection process will then take place on Feb. 6, at which point Hall of Fame rules dictate between four and eight new members must be elected to the class of 2016.

Favre's and Owens' polished resumes should make them front-runners to receive gold jackets, but debate will assuredly rage on regarding the prospects of the other revered candidates.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.