What to Expect From Penn State, Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl

Both teams bring win streaks, and plenty of potential opt-outs, to the bowl game at Yankee Stadium.

Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith celebrates from the sideline during the third quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State and Clemson will clash in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27 at Yankee Stadium. It will be the second matchup between the two programs, with Clemson beating Penn State 35-10 in the 1988 Citrus Bowl.

Penn State has appeared in one other Pinstripe Bowl, which was former head coach James Franklin’s first bowl game with the Nittany Lions in 2014. Penn State won 31-30 in an overtime thriller against Boston College.  

Here’s what to know about the Nittany Lions’ date with Clemson in Terry Smith’s last game as Penn State’s interim head coach.

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

Pinstripe Bowl outlook

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) scores a rushing touchdown during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In what many online have called the "Disappointment Bowl,” Penn State (6-6) and Clemson (7-5) meet as preseason top-five teams that didn’t meet those expectations. Still, both teams are on win streaks; Penn State has won three straight, and Clemson has won four. The Nittany Lions opened as 1.5-point favorites, though opt-outs will determine the game’s outcome. 

To start, Penn State could be without NFL Draft picks in running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, defensive tackle Zane Durant and offensive lineman Vega Ioane. ESPN’s Matt Miller projected Ioane as a first-round pick in his most recent mock draft.

It’s also unknown how many other Penn State players opt out, intending to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal on Jan. 2 following the hiring of Matt Campbell as head coach. Penn State’s coaching staff could undergo significant change before the bowl game as well, with some potentially joining James Franklin at Virginia Tech.

For the Tigers, two key defensive difference-makers, tackle Peter Woods and edge T.J. Parker, are likely to opt out. Both are projected first-round draft picks, according to ESPN's Miller. Cornerback Avieon Terrell, the brother of All-Pro NFL cornerback AJ Terrell, is a potential first- or second-day pick. He’s a game-changer on the back end for Clemson and another opt-out candidate for the Pinstripe Bowl. 

Taking the unknowns out of the equation, the matchup would be a fun one likely to be decided in the trenches — specifically when Penn State is on offense. The Nittany Lions’ offensive line will face one of its toughest battles of the year with Clemson’s front.

Penn State’s linemen have strung together a strong finish, leading a dynamic rushing attack that averaged 257 yards over the past three games. The Tigers also allow the third-fewest rushing yards per game in the ACC at 102.8. It would be strength vs. strength, barring certain opt-outs. 

RELATED: Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni praises Penn State's hiring of Matt Campbell

What to know about Clemson

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney greets fans after the Tigers’ 28-14 win over South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co Inc SC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Clemson and Penn State performed severely below preseason expectations. Entering the season, Clemson was ranked fourth in the preseason AP top-25 poll, just two spots behind Penn State. Now, the two programs that many expected to meet in the College Football Playoff, will match up with far less stakes in the Pinstripe Bowl.

So this intriguing matchup begs the question: What went wrong for Clemson?

For starters, look no further than quarterback Cade Klubnik. The senior entered 2025 with the second-best odds to win the Heisman trophy at 8/1, sitting behind only Texas quarterback Arch Manning. But he didn’t take the necessary steps to elevate the Tigers.

Klubnik improved on his 2024 completion percentage (from 63.4 percent to 66.6 percent),  but his 2024 TD/INT ratio of 36-6 turned into 16-6 in 2025. He simply wasn’t good enough, especially for a quarterback who was floated around as a potential top-five 2026 NFL Draft pick before the season. 

Klubnik’s regression lowered Clemson to the 10th-ranked scoring offense in the ACC at 28.7 points per game. The Tigers, however, have more problems on offense than Klubnik’s disappointing campaign. Clemson ranks 11th in the ACC in rushing offense (131.3 ypg), which certainly doesn’t help its passing attack.

Its defense hasn’t played up to par either. Former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who left the Nittany Lions just days after their loss to Notre Dame in the 2025 Orange Bowl, spearheads a defense that ranks second in the ACC and 28th in the country in points allowed (20.4). That includes 34 to Syracuse, 35 to SMU and 46 to ACC champion Duke. 

"It's just an absolute coaching failure," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said of the season. "I don't know another way to say it. And I'm not pointing the finger, I'm pointing the thumb. It starts with me, because I hired everybody, and I empower everybody and equip everybody."

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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