There's no sugarcoating it: 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. 8-ranked Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, but with each step forward in the CFP bracket comes a greater opportunity -- and louder doubters about Franklin's ability to beat the best.

As the Big Ten runner-up and No. 6 seed in the College Football Playoff, the narrative surrounding Penn State was that they had arguably the easiest path to the national title -- a home game against overmatched No. 11 seed SMU, followed by a matchup against Mountain West Conference champion and No. 3 seed Boise State. The Nittany Lions outscored their first two playoff opponents by a combined 69-24.

Now Franklin is two wins away from the school's first national championship since the 1986 season, but in order to win it, he has to do something that has eluded him during most of his career: beat a top-5 team. He is 1-14 at Penn State against AP top-5 teams, with the lone win coming in 2016 against No. 2 Ohio State. By comparison, former coach Nick Saban (24-11 at Alabama), former coach Urban Meyer (6-2 at Ohio State) and Georgia coach Kirby Smart (11-7) all have winning records against AP top-5 opponents, according to ESPN Research. Ohio State coach Ryan Day, though, is 5-6 against them, and former Penn State coach Joe Paterno was 3-12 in his first 15 games against AP top-5 teams at Penn State.

Franklin is also 0-5 against teams ranked in the top five by the CFP selection committee, and he has lost those games by an average of 20.4 points according to ESPN Research. The Nittany Lions will face Notre Dame (No. 3 AP/No. 5 CFP) on Thursday in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in what is undoubtedly the biggest game of Franklin's career.

Franklin "understands" fans' frustration. He declined to comment for this story but said this following a 20-13 loss to No. 4 Ohio State on Nov. 2: "Nobody is looking in the mirror harder than I am. I've said this before, but 99% of the programs across college football would die to do what we've been able to do in our time here."

Despite his struggles against top teams, Franklin enters the Orange Bowl with a record of 101-41 and is 64-33 in the Big Ten over the past decade in State College. That includes five top-10 finishes, a Big Ten title (2016) and regular appearances in New Year's Six bowl games. Under Franklin, Penn State joins Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State as the only programs that have ranked in the selection committee's final top 12 at least seven of the past nine seasons.

He has six years left on his contract and the support of his administration.

"I'm not going to give credence to the criticism, because I see it differently," said Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft, who was hired at Penn State on July 1, 2022, after serving two years as the athletic director at Boston College. "When I got here, I was really surprised where just the infrastructure and how everything was set up, how behind we really were. Yes, wins and losses are what we are all judged on, but I will tell you, the culture of that building and the young men he brings in and graduates are second to none.

"You don't see behind the curtain as a fan or just someone watching," Kraft said, "and when you get behind the curtain, the thing that oozes out for me is culture and family. That's really how it's built, but the infrastructure behind it wasn't matching that culture and we still have a ways to go. So yes, we want to win every single game -- that's the expectation for every program, but to see what he has done and that consistency is what's remarkable to me."

As a former Big Ten head coach who spent seven seasons leading Indiana, first-year Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen has studied the Nittany Lions from the inside out. He has game-planned against Franklin, and now he's trying to help Franklin win his first national title. Allen heard Franklin's critics when he was at Indiana, and he has heard them again as a member of Franklin's staff.

"Now that I'm here and I see the behind-the-scenes and the day-to-day and see how much of a bulldog he is -- that's the word I use -- he's a bulldog for the details and the little things and just being on top of everything," Allen said. "To me, those criticisms, they're not fair, but until you win those big games, they're going to be there. And I think we all as coaches understand that."

What Franklin has accomplished so far is often overshadowed by what he hasn't. According to ESPN Research, when Franklin won his 100th game at Penn State in the first round against SMU, he became the fourth FBS coach to win 100 games at a single school since he headed to State College in 2014. The career milestone put him in elite company, joining Dabo Swinney at Clemson (129 since 2014), Nick Saban at Alabama (127 from 2014-23) and Kirby Smart at Georgia (105 since 2016).

There's one thing separating Franklin from the rest of the group, though -- multiple national titles.

"We don't run away from the expectation," Kraft said. "Being the head coach of Penn State, there's so much scrutiny on him and he handles it really well internally. He and I are partners in this."

One current Big Ten head coach said the expectations of Franklin should mirror the resources he has to work with.

"Ryan Day has been in championships, Clemson has been in championships, Bama has won them, Michigan has won them," he said. "If the Penn State expectation is they should have at least played for championships in 10 years of his tenure, then no, he's not successful, right? If their expectation is, 'Hey, we only have resourced him to be a 10-win team, Jan. 1 bowl team, right at the bottom of the blue bloods from a resource standpoint -- which I don't know -- then yeah, he matches the expectations of a 10-win guy. If you're a blue blood, are you being resourced like Clemson, like Michigan, like Ohio State, like the people we're comparing them to, because it's not fair to have that expectation if he hasn't had the resources."

Kraft said so much of Penn State's growth under Franklin has come behind the scenes with things like working to build the budget for NIL, salaries for assistant coaches, stadium renovations and improvements for Penn State's student-athletes in all sports in areas such as mental health, nutrition and travel -- all things that ultimately contribute to winning a national title but happen off the field.

"You have to build the infrastructure in-house," Kraft said. "That is what I think has really improved is allowing him -- and all of our sports -- to go and do the things they need to do internally to get to the championship level."

A second Big Ten head coach said the most noticeable improvements with Penn State and Franklin this year are twofold: the hire of two proven coordinators in Allen and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, and Franklin's overall growth as a head coach in certain situations.

"James has surrounded himself, in my opinion, with maybe the best coordinator combo in our league," the source said. "Now James has been able to manage games and do the things he's good at for the first time. He's at a different level as a head coach.

"I get it, I get the narrative," the coach said, "but that's probably based on more of the past than the present. Even him having a better understanding of how you've got to use your players. He's been at Penn State so long, he's always been the favorite, so when he gets in these games where he's the underdog, you've got to not only play different, you've got to strategize different. And when he ran that fake punt against Minnesota ... I don't think he's ever had to do that before, and he's kind of realizing, this is what I've got to do to win this game. I can't just win it on my talent alone. And there's a learning curve for that."

Kotelnicki said Franklin doesn't get enough credit for being as consistently good as he has. From 2016 to 2019, Franklin led Penn State to 42 wins, the most in program history for the Big Ten era, and a school-record 28 conference wins.

"It's really hard to win, and to do it over a decade like he has as a head football coach here, it's really hard," Kotelnicki said in the Nittany Lions' locker room following their win against Boise State. "I've had the opportunity in my life to work with some pretty good head coaches. He's in elite company for sure. So I don't know if [beating Boise State] is going to silence the critics -- probably not. ... But I hope it does [calm down] a little bit for his sake. He deserves a little, 'All right, OK, I guess he's OK.'"

Penn State's defense was more than OK in the Fiesta Bowl win against Boise State, and it will have to play at a championship-caliber level for Franklin to improve his record and advance against the Irish. According to ESPN Research, the defense is at the heart of Penn State's problem in previous top-10 matchups. The Nittany Lions have allowed 31 points per game in those matchups and 422 total yards. The defense has also allowed 190 rushing yards per game under Franklin in top-10 matchups.

Against Boise State and Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman runner-up was held to a season-low 104 rushing yards. That trend will need to continue: Notre Dame has relied on its running game this season, ranking in the top five in yards per rush and rushing touchdowns.

Penn State will be playing its third AP top-5 matchup of the season, losing the previous two games against Ohio State and Oregon. The program's woes run deeper than Franklin, too: The Nittany Lions haven't won a top-five matchup since 1999 against No. 4 Arizona.

"You just have to do a great job of blocking that out, but also not being afraid to dig and find ways to create change," Allen said. "That's what I see him doing, is, 'Hey, what can we do?' and there's this constant evaluation of how we practice, the game plans if something doesn't go a certain way. I see him just being so relentless in that as the leader of our program. So to me, I just think it's a matter of time."

The Dallas Mavericks moved up their start time for Thursday's home game against the Portland Trail Blazers one hour to 6:30 p.m. CT because of "inclement weather."

The Dallas area is under a winter storm warning Thursday that includes a mixture of sleet and snow throughout the day, according to The Weather Channel. Light to moderate snow is in the forecast after 7 p.m. local time.

The Mavericks are coming off a 118-97 home victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday while playing without Luka Doncic (calf) and Kyrie Irving (back).

The Trail Blazers have lost three of their past five games but are coming off a 119-100 victory at New Orleans on Wednesday.

"He's a talented athlete and is still making breaks. But it's also his diligent work ethic behind the scenes, his understanding of the game and the fundamentals of the set-piece.

"It's just about us looking after him, keeping him fit and playing. It's great to have him back, but we can't just think that's great and play him every game. That's not good for him or anyone."

Gatland has been without Faletau for the entire 12-Test losing streak since that Georgia win in France.

Now aged 34, Faletau is likely to be the oldest member of the squad and among only four of the 20 forwards who won the 2021 Six Nations title in the running to start in Paris on Friday, 31 January.

But Sherratt believes age means little and added: "Just as we say with the younger players that they're old enough if they're good enough.

"Well the same applies to the older guys. If they're still good enough then they're young enough.

"He only has to look at [Cardiff centre] Ray Lee-Lo who is still going at 39 and playing some of his best ever rugby. So there's still plenty to come from Taulupe."

Asked if Morgan could lead Wales once again, Jones said: "Without a doubt. He did a phenomenal job of leading Wales before.

"Dewi has picked the baton up in Jac's absence and made it his own while Jac has been coming back into the squad.

"We're really fortunate here [at Ospreys] to have two recent Welsh captains sitting in our midst. They are quality, whichever player is chosen at anytime will do a fantastic job, the boys are incredible."

Wales are still hopeful of getting Lake back to play some part of the tournament.

The worse case diagnosis was 12-weeks out from December, which could still see him return for the last two games.

"My understanding is that it [Lake's rehabilitation] is going really well," added Jones.

"He's working hard and the feedback from the Welsh Rugby Union and our own camp is that he's progressing well and we're just playing that be ear now.

"It's all positive at the moment."

Rugby referee Chris Busby is set to retire from officiating following critical comments made by Mack Hansen which resulted in a ban for the Ireland international.

Busby was appointed an assistant referee for France v Wales and Italy v France in this year's Six Nations, but BBC Sport NI has learned that Sunday's Investec Champions Cup match between Bath and Clermont is expected to be his last as an official in the professional game.

Ireland wing Hansen will be suspended for three matches after criticising Busby and his officiating team in Connacht's loss to Leinster in the United Rugby Championship last month.

Hansen received a six-week suspension, three of which are suspended, meaning he will be available for Ireland's Six Nations campaign.

Hansen said the refereeing in the Aviva Stadium match on 21 December made it feel like Connacht were playing against "16 men".

As part of his sanction, Australia-born Hansen - for whom a lengthier ban would have impacted his availability for the Six Nations - must apologise to referee Busby and undertake "an appropriate course related to match officiating".

While personal reasons are thought to be at the forefront of Busby's decision, it is believed the Hansen episode was a factor.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild have added defensemen Jonas Brodin and Brock Faber to their list of key injured players, leaving them out of the lineup for their game against Colorado on Thursday night.

Brodin's status is day to day. He has a lower-body injury from blocking a shot late in the 6-4 win over St. Louis on Tuesday night. Wild coach John Hynes had no update after the team's morning skate on Thursday on the timetable for the return of Faber, who has an upper-body injury from an elbow he took from Blues forward Jake Neighbours at the end of his first shift.

The Wild already were missing captain Jared Spurgeon (lower body), who is expected to be out for another week or two after taking a slew foot from Nashville forward Zachary L'Heureux in their game on Dec. 31. That leaves Minnesota without three of its top four defensemen. Jake Middleton just returned from a 10-game absence because of an upper-body injury.

The Wild also have been without star left wing Kirill Kaprizov (lower body), who missed his seventh straight game on Thursday. Kaprizov, who is tied for fourth in the NHL with 23 goals and ninth in the league with 50 points, has skated on the last two days and could return soon.

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin will start Thursday's game against the visiting New Jersey Devils, coach Peter Laviolette announced.

Shesterkin has missed the team's past four games due to an upper-body injury. He sustained the injury during the Rangers' 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Dec. 30.

Signed to an eight-year, $92 million contract last month, Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy as the top netminder for the 2021-22 season.

Shesterkin finished third in Hart Trophy (MVP) balloting during his stellar 2021-22 season in which he went 36-13-4 and led the NHL with both a 2.07 goals-against average and .935 save percentage.

Shesterkin, 29, has posted an 11-15-1 record with a 3.10 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in 27 games (27 starts) this season.

He is 146-74-18 with 16 shutouts, a 2.50 GAA and .919 save percentage in 240 career appearances (235 starts) with the Rangers.

The Columbus Blue Jackets placed forward Sean Monahan on injured reserve Thursday because of an upper body injury sustained in the 4-3 shootout win at Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Adam Fantilli is expected to move up to center the top line when the Blue Jackets host the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.

"Guys have watched how [Monahan] conducts himself, and hopefully they try to do the exact same thing," coach Dean Evason said Thursday. "Our bench is calm in large part because of him up front and [defenseman Zach Werenski] on the back end. They're both very calming influence players, but we have other guys that do that as well.

"But if the guys that are playing in tonight's hockey game have learned anything from 'Monny,' it's that he's even-keeled. He doesn't get too high, too low, all those clichés. He just goes about his business. We expect our team to do that here tonight."

In a corresponding move, the Blue Jackets added rookie forward Owen Sillinger on an emergency recall from the AHL's Cleveland Monsters.

Monahan, 30, has 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists), 14 penalty minutes and a plus-17 rating in 41 games this season. He ranks second on the team in plus/minus rating and third in goals, assists and points.

He has 579 career points (258 goals, 321 assists) in 805 games with the Calgary Flames (2013-22), Montreal Canadiens (2022-24), Winnipeg Jets (2024) and Blue Jackets, who signed him as a free agent in July. The Flames selected him sixth overall in the 2013 NHL draft.

Sillinger, 27, is on a one-year, two-way NHL/AHL contract with the Blue Jackets. He has eight goals and 17 assists with 18 penalty minutes in 34 games with Cleveland this season.