As Penn State's coach, James Franklin owns an abysmal 3-19 record against opponents ranked in the Associated Press top 10 -- and is just 3-10 when his team is also in the top 10. It's a mark that saw a small but significant boost with Penn State's resounding 31-14 College Football Playoff quarterfinal win against No.

Penn State and Notre Dame will square off at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for a spot in the national title game. If the Nittany Lions win, they’ll face either Ohio State or Texas in the CFP final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

It's been a long time since either Notre Dame or Penn State reached college football's mountaintop as national champions. It was 1988 for the Fighting Irish, 1986 for the Nittany Lions. There's been good seasons and bad seasons in the three-plus decades that have followed,