Rose Bowl berth great, but how much does Franklin still need to beat Utah?

ALTOONA, Pa. -- Let's give James Franklin a lot of credit, first of all. I know, that's hard for some of you Penn State fans, who love to criticize the coach for anything and everything, but he does deserve praise for getting the team to the Rose Bowl.

That fact alone makes this a great season. Because history won't necessarily look at all the particulars when judging this Nittany Lion team; it will look at 10 wins and a Rose Bowl berth first and foremost.

Major props and respect come with all that.

But here's the thing: We do have to look at all the particulars when forming a complete and overall conclusion. About anything.

And here's the particular that still sticks in the craw of Franklin's most ardent critics -- both in the Nittany Nation and outside of it:

He can't win the big game.

That was after the Michigan loss this year. The number dropped to 0-11 after the loss to Ohio State (sorry, couldn't find the dramatic tweet pointing that out!)

Franklin is 2-15 overall against top 10 teams at Penn State, with the wins coming against No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Wisconsin during the 2016 Big Ten championship season. He won those two big games during that incredibly memorable season, but the Lions have fallen flat every time since then against top 10 teams.

The Rose Bowl gives them another crack at one against No. 8 Utah. It gives Franklin another crack at one. And boy, could he use a win there to silence the critics in the one area where, truthfully, they are 100% percent correct and the coach doesn't really have a leg to stand on to defend himself.

Yes, Penn State is 10-2. But it hasn't beaten a ranked team all season. So, as much as this has been a fun ride and will end with a memorable day in Pasadena on Monday, the fact of the matter remains that Franklin badly needs to win this game.

Bowl games, by and large, don't matter anymore. With top players opting out left and right and some teams just generally not caring much about the actual games, bowls no longer give us much of an indication of how good teams are or not.

This Rose Bowl is different. This bowl game is being taken very seriously by both the Lions and Utes, two programs that have a lot to gain if they can earn a signature win here.

Yes, there have been some opt outs that will mean this won't truly be both teams at full strength. Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. opted out, as did Utah cornerback Clark Phillips III and tight end Dalton Kincaid, who has 70 catches for 890 yards and eight TDs. All are big losses, and Penn State also will be without injured wide receiver Parker Washington.

But do you see what, ironically, happened there? Those losses cancel each other out -- both teams will be without their top cornerback and top receiver.

So, all in all, this looks like a very even matchup between two good but not great teams. Vegas agrees, as the game has been close to a pick 'em and now sits at Utah -2.5.

Did I mention this is a game Franklin has to win?

He has to win it in order to change the narrative. That 11 consecutive losses against top 10 teams is an ugly stat which needs to be wiped away. And this isn't Ohio State or Michigan -- two powerhouse conference juggernauts that know everything about the Lions, including how to prepare for them -- but yet a Utah team that knows nothing about Penn State because the programs have never played.

Can James Franklin outcoach Kyle Whittingham? In this one game? Which means the same amount to both teams?

And this part is extremely important: Can Franklin get the job done in this kind of game, the kind he'll have to win in the future if the Lions hope to advance in the College Football Playoff?

I think we all know that Penn State is going to be a perennial contender once the playoff field expands to 12 in 2024. I've written extensively for a long time about how relatively easy it could be for the Lions to finish in the top 12 in any given year, something they've now done five of the last seven seasons despite multiple losses each year.

But the biggest complaint I've seen from Penn State fans recently has been this: Even if the Lions get to the playoff, Franklin can't win those games because he always loses to top 10 teams.

Hey, that's fair. That's accurate. That's reality.

So, if Franklin wants to end that narrative -- and end the woeful streak of 11 consecutive losses to top 10 teams -- he's got a golden opportunity to do so coming up in the Rose Bowl.

TRAVEL SCHEDULE

I'll be heading out to Los Angeles early Friday morning and will have live coverage from there for five days. Hopefully, that is, since I'm flying on Southwest Airlines, which has had to cancel two-thirds of its flights recently.

The best thing about appearing in a New Year's Six bowl is the access. The media doesn't get to talk to Penn State freshmen or many other players throughout the season, but that is ALL out the window in a NY6 game.

Every player on the roster will be made available Saturday, which means, for the first time, we'll get to talk with freshmen Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen and Abdul Carter. I'll have stories on all four over the weekend.

Also, after the game, the locker room is open to the media, which is NEVER the case for any other Penn State game. And once again, we can talk to any player we like, which helps add the kind of perspective we just don't typically get after other games.