Penn State Poised to Return to the Pinstripe Bowl

The Nittany Lions will play in the bowl game at Yankee Stadium for the first time since 2014.

A view of the Pinstripe Bowl trophy after the game between the Boston College Eagles and the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Yankee Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Penn State will return to Yankee Stadium for a potential bowl game that the preseason rankings suggested as a playoff possibility. Instead, the Nittany Lions will play in their second Pinstripe Bowl potentially against an ACC opponent that also was a preseason top-five team.

The Pinstripe Bowl is scheduled for noon ET Dec. 27 at Yankee Stadium. On3's Brett McMurphy first reported the Big Ten bowl games, which included Penn State to the Pinstripe Bowl. Matchups will be announced Sunday.

Penn State's opponent isn't official yet, though the three most likely opponents are Clemson, Pitt, Duke or. A Penn State-Clemson game would represent quite the "what-if" game of the 2025 college football season.

Penn State began the year ranked second in the preseason AP Top 25 and widely was considered a national championship contender. Clemson opened the season at No. 4 in the AP poll and a favorite to win the ACC title. And FOX Sports' Joel Klatt predicted that Clemson would be Ohio State for the national championship.

However, after a season-opening loss to LSU, the Tigers then lost four of their first six ACC games. Clemson finished the regular season 7-5 (4-4 in the ACC) and lost games to Georgia Tech, Syracuse. SMU and Duke.

But Clemson won six of its last eight games, prompting coach Dabo Swinney to say call this "the greatest turnaround team in Clemson history." Clemson's defensive coordinator is Tom Allen, who spent last year with the Nittany Lions.

Penn State also could face Pitt (8-4), or Duke (7-5) in the Pinstripe Bowl. The Blue Devils, led by another former Penn State defensive coordinator in Manny Diaz, play Virginia in the ACC title game.

NEW: Confirmed Big Ten Bowl Destinations via @Brett_McMurphy⬇️

Michigan in Citrus vs. SEC
Iowa in ReliaQuest vs. SEC
Nebraska in Las Vegas vs. former Pac-12
Illinois in Music City vs. SEC
Penn State in Pinstripe vs. ACChttps://t.co/EPBL5a4KVT pic.twitter.com/7HCyt3Qcca

— On3 (@On3sports) December 6, 2025

RELATED: What they're saying about Penn State's hiring of Matt Campbell

Penn State's bowl status

A general view of the field and main scoreboard at Yankee Stadium before a Pinstripe Bowl between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Maryland Terrapins. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Terry Smith, Penn State's interim head coach, is scheduled to lead the Nittany Lions for the final time in the Pinstripe Bowl. Smith will remain on new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell's staff. It's unclear, however, how many other coaches will be in place for the bowl game.

Smith said during the regular season that Penn State wanted to play in a bowl game. The Nittany Lions won their final three games to become bowl eligible.

“The guys really wanted that,” Smith said after the Nittany Lions’40-36 win over Rutgers. “We’re looking forward to playing our bowl game.”

Though Penn State players sign contracts, many still could opt out of the bowl game. After the win over Rutgers, several players said they had not decided whether to play in the postseason. Others said they intended to play.

“My parents get to watch me play in another game as a Penn State starting quarterback,” Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer said. "That’s really what I do it for, and I'm just excited for that opportunity.”

Added linebacker Dom DeLuca, “I’m playing every game I could with this team, I don’t care about anything else but enjoying my last game with this team.”

Penn State struggled with opt-outs and missing players in its last bowl game, the 2023 Peach Bowl. Ole Miss defeated Penn State 38-25 as the Nittany Lions were without multiple starters and saw several others play limited snap counts.

Penn State has played in one Pinstripe Bowl, defeating Boston College 31-30 in James Franklin's first season as head coach.

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