As Penn State's coach, James Franklin owns an abysmal 4-19 record against opponents ranked in the Associated Press top 10 -- and is just 3-10 in such games 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 head coach James Franklin has a chance to lead his team to the College Football Playoff national championship game on Thursday night, but first the Nittany Lions must defeat Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Here’s a look back at Franklin’s complete history in bowl games through the years.

As Penn State football head coach James Franklin has struggled against top ranked teams, the AD comes to his defense.