Penn State vs. Clemson
The 2025 Pinstripe Bowl features two of college football’s biggest programs, as the Penn State Nittany Lions and Clemson Tigers will clash at Yankee Stadium on December 27. The only problem with this game is that the list of transfers and opt-outs is outrageously long. Penn State fired James Franklin during the season, so this has already been a bit of a weird year for the Nittany Lions. However, it got worse once Franklin got the Virginia Tech job, as it meant more players and coaches moving on. Meanwhile, Clemson has five players opting out as they prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft. The Tigers also have a long list of starters that are injured. So, this is going to be an interesting game to watch, as it’s not exactly clear what either group will look like. However, we’ll do our best to break it down in our Penn State vs. Clemson betting preview.
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook as of December 23, 1:00 pm ET; check out our DraftKings Betting Splits and Circa Betting Splits.
Pinstripe Bowl: Penn State vs. Clemson (-3, 48.5)
Saturday, Dec. 27, 12:00 pm ET (ABC)
Clemson has been absolutely hammered by opt-outs and injuries. Head coach Dabo Swinney recently noted that 27 scholarship players will be out of the bowl game. Some of the big ones are DeMonte Capehart, Peter Woods, T.J. Parker, Antonio Williams, Avieon Terrell, Wade Woodaz, Collin Sadler, Bryant Wesco, and Olsen Patt-Henry. However, it’s not like Penn State is in great shape here. Star quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury in October, and several other starters have opted out and entered the transfer portal. Sure, the number might not be as high as 27, but the Nittany Lions will be down a ton of key pieces.
Clemson is also in much better shape at quarterback, as Cade Klubnik intends to play his final game for the Tigers. Klubnik had a disappointing season, throwing for 2,750 yards with 16 touchdowns and six picks — and adding another four scores on the ground. But he’s an experienced player that has won a lot of big games in his career. With him under center, the Tigers have a huge advantage over the Nittany Lions, who are throwing redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer out there.
Grunkemeyer wasn’t all that impressive once Allar went down, and he’s going up against a talented Clemson defense. The Tigers might be without some of their defensive superstars, but this team is never short on dynamic defensive players. Swinney has turned Clemson into a five-star factory, and this coaching staff has had time to get some of the young fill-in starters up to speed. I’d be surprised if Penn State puts up a good number of points here, even if star running back Kaytron Allen plays.
There’s just a real chance that Clemson’s mix of Varsity and JV players is still stronger than Penn State’s fuller Varsity squad. And you really can’t discount the difference on the sidelines. Swinney has won 13 bowl games in his time with the Tigers, and he’s 10-2 straight-up and 9-3 against the spread when playing in December bowl games. Meanwhile, Terry Smith has been a great long-term assistant for this Nittany Lions team, but he hasn’t been in this type of position. Plus, he’s operating all of it without a full pool of assistants.
Penn State vs. Clemson Pinstripe Bowl Prediction
Penn State did a decent job of navigating life without Frankin and Allar, finishing the regular season with three straight wins. The Nittany Lions were also 4-2 ATS under Smith. However, once the offseason came, players and coaches started bailing. The team is now waiting to turn things over to Matt Campbell, and everything just feels hard to overcome heading into a meeting with a team that has won at least one postseason game in 14 consecutive seasons. I like the Tigers to win by more than a field goal.
Pick: Clemson -3 (-105)
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