6. Penn State Nittany Lions11-2 (8-1 Big Ten regular season)What’s next: vs. No. 11 SMU at State College, Pa., Dec. 21, noon ETHead coach: James Franklin (11th season, 99-41 overall at Penn State, 123-56 overall as head coach)About Franklin: Penn State gets pounded for a poor record against quality competition. Franklin is 1-13 against teams ranked in the top 10 after the Big Ten Championship game loss to Oregon and 1-16 overall as a head coach at the FBS level.ResumeIf a game can be counted as a quality loss, there was ample optimism from the Penn State side after taking Oregon into the final minute of a 45-37 loss on Saturday night. But the Nittany Lions are 1-2 this season against teams in the Top 25 despite being 5-0 on the road and their two losses are to playoff teams in the Ducks and Ohio State.Road to AtlantaTo reach the national title game, Penn State has to contend with No. 11 SMU in the first home postseason game in program history. Boise State (12-1) has a first-round bye and awaits the winner.Postseason historyFranklin is 6-6 in bowl games in his career, which also counts going 2-1 at Vanderbilt, and he’s never piloted Penn State to consecutive postseason wins. His next victory would be his all-time best 12th in a season. The Nittany Lions are first-time participants in the College Football Playoff. They won national championships under Joe Paterno in 1982 and 1986.Names to know