Shot at glory | Sports Daily Newsletter

Yes, Jalen Hurts is back at practice for the Eagles. We begin today’s Sports Daily, though, with a big opportunity for Penn State and its football coach, James Franklin.

The Nittany Lions can reach the national championship game for the first time since 1986 with a victory tonight against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl (7:30, ESPN). In his 11th season as Penn State’s coach, Franklin can make history in the process. Either Franklin or his counterpart, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, will become the first Black head coach to reach the BCS title game.

One thing we know about Franklin: He will be prepared. Devin Jackson chronicles the career of the Penn State coach.

Each team has a featured player who is coming off an injury. Abdul Carter, the star defensive end for Penn State, suffered an upper-body injury and missed most of the quarterfinal against Boise State. Notre Dame’s leading rusher, Jeremiyah Love, aggravated a knee injury in his last game. Both are expected to play.

Our staffers make their predictions for the game.

The Penn State-Notre Dame rivalry reached a fever pitch in the 1980s and ‘90s, when it was “must-see TV.”

The Fighting Irish have long had a pull on fans across the country. And Philadelphia is a big terminal for the school’s subway alumni, the fans who passionately follow the team but didn’t attend the school. Matt Breen touched base with several of them.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The one major cloud looming over the Eagles’ playoff game with the Green Bay Packers is the status of Hurts.

Wednesday brought good news on that front, as the star quarterback returned to the practice field for the first time since suffering a concussion against the Washington Commanders on Dec. 22. The sight of Hurts at practice would indicate things are trending positively toward him playing Sunday vs. the Packers.

While Hurts’ status is still to be determined, guard Mekhi Becton will suit up Sunday for his first career playoff game. The former Jet talked about his emotional journey to reach this point.

The Packers’ hopes of upsetting the Eagles will largely hinge on them slowing down Saquon Barkley, who amassed 132 yards and three touchdowns when the teams met in the season opener in Brazil. But as Olivia Reiner reports from Green Bay, the Packers might have a secret weapon this time around.

The 76ers started the season with certain expectations after bringing the Big Three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George together. The first priority for the Sixers was to win and the second was to be healthy. To that end, the team considered keeping its stars, especially Embiid and George, out of some back-to-back games.

Asked if the Sixers had considered playing Embiid in both games of back-to-backs as the season dwindles, coach Nick Nurse said the Sixers will need all hands on deck — and that includes Embiid. “I think we probably would like to be hoping guys are playing, whether it’s a back-to-back or not,” Nurse said.

Without Embiid and George in the lineup, Maxey and Guerschon Yabusele picked up the slack to give the Sixers a 109-103 win over the Washington Wizards.

The Flyers are still searching for answers at center ice, and with two months remaining until the trade deadline, general manager Danny Brière is certainly working the phones.

One name that never seems to go away is Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras. But should the Flyers consider a move for the flashy forward whose career has stalled in recent seasons? We analyzed Zegras as a potential fit in Philly, and looked at three other centers the Flyers could pursue to solve their ongoing conundrum down the middle.

On the ice, the Flyers’ recent struggles continued as a strong team effort went for naught in a 3-2 loss to Toronto.

The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane spoke with nearly every member of the Eagles’ revolving 53-man roster for his annual year-in-review player survey. Listen here for the latest episode of unCovering the Birds.

We asked you: What are your predictions for Thursday’s Penn State-Notre Dame game in the Orange Bowl? Among your responses:

I predict Penn State will defeat Notre Dame by a score of 34-24. The game will be close in the first half but Penn State’s defense will take over in the second half. — Donna M.

Penn State 26, Notre Dame 17 — Richard V.

ND will win by 14 points bet the ranch on it. — Jim C.

Penn State will beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. … They have not won a national championship since 1986, although their 1994 outstanding unbeaten team was robbed when it was given to Nebraska. And I think James Franklin is really beginning to understand what is required to win with the best. I have been a fan since Lenny Moore. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Devin Jackson, Avery Hill, Matt Breen, Kerith Gabriel, Frank Fitzpatrick, EJ Smith, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Gustav Elvin, Lochlahn March, Keith Pompey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Isabella DiAmore, Katie Lewis, and Owen Hewitt.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you in Friday’s Sports Daily. — Jim