Dabo Swinney Draws Parallels Between Clemson and Penn State Ahead of Pinstripe Bowl

Earlier this week, the ACC announced that the Clemson Tigers will head to New York City to take on Penn State in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27.

The matchup adds another chapter to a rare Clemson-Penn State meeting and gives both teams a chance to close what have been disappointing seasons on a high note.

Head Coach Dabo Swinney enters the bowl game tied with former Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno for the fourth-most wins by an FBS head coach through the first 20 seasons of his head coaching career.

With that milestone in sight, Swinney spoke to the media on Tuesday, commending Penn State's new permanent head coach, Terry Smith, for what he's done to finish this season, while also drawing similarities between the two programs' seasons.

"First of all, I have great respect for anyone who gets put in an interim situation," Swinney began. "I've been there and done that, and it is an incredibly difficult task. All of a sudden, you're thrust into a completely different role and have to redefine roles and responsibilities."

"You wear a lot of different hats, that's not easy. Especially at a place like Penn State, where there are a lot of people who care and are paying attention to everything you do."

Those words come from experience, not theory. Before becoming one of college football's winningest coaches, Swinney was in Smith's position in 2008, when he was suddenly elevated to interim head coach and tasked with steadying a program in transition — a role he clearly excelled at.

Swinney not only connected his experience to Smith's but also noted the similarities between Clemson and Penn State's high expectations and ultimately disappointing seasons.

"I think he's done an amazing job," Swinney continued. "[Penn State] has had injuries, but he's settled them down and found a way to finish the season — just like we have — disappointing start, both had high expectations. But football is football."

Entering 2025, both Clemson (4) and Penn State (2) were ranked in the top four of the Preseason AP Poll, having just concluded extremely successful seasons that saw them both advance to the College Football Playoff.

Additionally, a majority of their heavy contributors were making their way back to campus in hopes of seeking a National Championship, as some analysts even projected the two programs to meet there.

However, things quickly turned sour as the Tigers had their worst start through eight weeks since 1998 (3-5), and the Nittany Lions lost their starting quarterback, Drew Allar, to a season-ending injury in the midst of a three-game losing streak that led to the firing of longtime head coach James Franklin.

As mentioned before, Smith was thrust into the position of leading the team for the rest of the season. While it didn't start well — dropping the next three games — it certainly ended well, as Penn State finished the regular season on a three-game win streak with wins over Michigan State, Nebraska, and Rutgers.

Swinney made it clear that despite everything Penn State dealt with, he admired the way Smith kept the team together.

"Football is hard, and it doesn't always go your way," he said. "Most of the time, it gets worse when things go bad. But what you've seen at Penn State is the character of their program and players because they've continued to battle."

It's extremely fitting that the two programs' seasons now intersect in New York, and Swinney emphasized that it's a great opportunity for both teams, even if the road wasn't what either expected back in August.

"They've competed, they've battled, and I think that's a great reflection of who Coach Smith is and the job that he's done," Swinney concluded. "It's a great opportunity for both teams to go compete and try to finish your season with a win. I'm excited about it."