ShareThisIt's not unusual for a college-football game to change complexion, even drastically.
There may not be a more classic example than "The Comeback" in 1974, when No. 6 Southern California trailed No. 5 Notre Dame 24-0 late in the first half before the floodgates opened, and USC scored 55 unanswered points.
The tale of two halves has been a recurring theme every season.
Last year, Auburn trailed archrival Alabama 24-0 midway through the second quarter, but rallied to win 28-27 in Tuscaloosa.
Improbable comebacks are part of what makes this game so fantastic.
Games can turn on a dime and you never see it coming.
Last Saturday was a bit out of the ordinary because of the number of games that changed complexion.
Ohio State was manhandling then-No. 11 Nebraska and leading 27-6 midway through the third quarter, when the game turned. Buckeye quarterback Braxton Miller ran for seven yards but fumbled, and Nebraska's Levonte David recovered at the OSU 24.
From that point on, it was all Nebraska, mostly embattled quarterback Taylor Martinez. He bolted 18 yards for the first of four unanswered touchdowns en route to a 34-27 victory and the biggest comeback in Nebraska history.
Amazingly, Nebraska wasn't the only team to score 28 unanswered points and rally for victory.
No. 11 Michigan trailed Northwestern 24-14 at the half, but shut out the Wildcats 28-0 in the second half for a 42-24 win in Evanston, Ill.
Once again, Michigan managed to overcome three interceptions thrown by quarterback sensation Denard Robinson. Primarily because Robinson still managed to compile 454 all-purpose yards -- 337 passing and 117 rushing.
Robinson practically mirrored his performance against Notre Dame in Week 2, when he also threw three interceptions while passing for 338 yards and rushing for 108.
Against Northwestern, Robinson threw two touchdown passes and ran for two TDs. Against Notre Dame, he passed for four touchdowns and ran for one.
Granted, Robinson's passing numbers pale in comparison to those of Baylor's Robert Griffin III, who's completed 80.3 percent of his passes for 1,520 yards, 19 touchdowns and only one interception. But Robinson has also rushed for 720 yards and eight touchdowns in addition to passing for 1,130 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Numbers aside, Robinson is the game's most phenomenal playmaker.
At the halfway point, in the Unbalanced Line's view, he is the most outstanding college-football player in the country.
Course, that could all change on a dime Saturday, when No. 11 Michigan travels to East Lansing for a game against No. 23 Michigan State.
The Spartans rank third in overall defense, yielding an average of just 109.4 yards a game passing and 64 rushing. Considering that Michigan is averaging 257 rushing yards and 200 passing, something will have to give.
It won't be Sparty's D; 6-0 Michigan suffers its first setback, 38-27.
Vastly overrated Texas, which plummeted from No. 11 to No. 22 in the AP poll after getting destroyed 55-17 by No. 3 Oklahoma last Saturday, will suffer further exposure at the hands of No. 6 Oklahoma State.
The Longhorns' defense is no match for the top-ranked Cowboys' offense, which is averaging 577 yards and 51 points a game.
So if Oklahoma State happens to fall behind early in Austin, expect the Cowboys to come roaring back much like No. 10 Arkansas did last weekend against then-No. 15 Auburn.
The Razorbacks were down 14-7 after the first quarter, before scoring 31 unanswered.
Comebacks and unanswered points were clearly the theme of last Saturday's games.
No. 9 Oregon was trailing California 15-14 at the half, before exploding in the second half for 29 unanswered points and a 43-14 victory.
This Saturday in Eugene, the speedy Ducks will face a tougher test in No. 18 Arizona State. But with the second-ranked offense in the country and home-turf advantage, even without injured star running back LaMichael James, Oregon will win.
No. 20 Baylor at No. 21 Texas A&M could be the best game of the day.
Baylor's sharp-shooting Griffin should have a field day in College Station. He's the No. 2-rated quarterback in the country; A&M's pass defense ranks 115th out of 120 FBS teams.
But numbers can be deceiving, especially with the 12th-man factor. The Line expects a shootout, with Baylor prevailing.
In other intriguing games, Ohio State poses a real threat to No. 16 Illinois; Texas Tech could also hand No. 17 Kansas State its first loss; and Florida could suffer its third straight SEC loss at No. 24 Auburn.
And we'll find out if Wake Forest's complexion truly has changed when No. 19 Virginia Tech visits Winston-Salem, N.C. If the Demon Deacons can follow up their surprising 35-30 upset of then-No. 23 Florida State with a victory over the Hokies, they just might find themselves in the thick of ACC-title contention.
(Contact John Tucker at jtucker(at)unionleader.com)
(Email John Tucker at jtucker(at)unionleader.com)
Must credit New Hampshire Union LeaderTHE UNBALANCED LINE
