Penn State football's final game of the 2025 season is here. The Nittany Lions face Clemson at noon for the Pinstripe Bowl game at Yankee Stadium. It's the second time the blue and white appear in the bowl, and this time, they're up a against a 7-5 Tigers ACC team.
Both teams fell off in 2025. Clemson was the preseason No. 4 team and Penn State was the No. 2 team in the country, but went on a win streak at the end of the regular season, securing a non-playoff bowl game spot.
Complete guide to Penn State vs. Clemson Pinstripe Bowl: How to watch, odds, and more
Line: Penn State +2.5
Money Line: Penn State +124, Clemson -146
Over/Under: 47.5
Here are our team's predictions for how Saturday's Nittany Lions vs. Tigers contest plays out:
Sydney Ciano - Penn State 24, Clemson 20
Penn State won three straight games to get to a non-playoff bowl game and Clemson won four consecutive finishing out the season. In those last stretch of games, the Nittany Lions did better statistically.
Penn State had 36 completions on 46 attempts for 517 passing yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer had a 78.07 completion percentage in the final three-game stretch and took four sacks. On the ground, the Nittany Lions' running backs had 122 carries for 771 yards and nine rushing touchdowns.
In the final three weeks, the Tigers completed 69 of 109 passes for a total 63.37 completion percentage and 692 yards. They also had four receiving touchdowns, all of which came against Furman on Nov. 22. Quarterback Cade Klubnik was sacked three times and threw one interception in those last three games. Clemson had 101 rushing attempts for 487 yards and six touchdowns.
Penn State is without running back Nicholas Singleton and nearly all of its starting offensive linemen. However, the blue and white still have running back Kaytron Allen, who quickly surfaced as the top rusher for the team back in non-conference play at the start of the season.
Expect Allen to get rolling early and carry a lot of the offensive weight. As for Grunkemeyer, he has something to prove to incoming head coach Matt Campbell. He's fighting for his spot as the starting quarterback moving forward, so don't expect him to lay back and let Allen exclusively drive the offense. Grunkemeyer still has wide receiver and tight end weapons to target. He'll do just that.
The Nittany Lions also face a nearly dissipated Tigers defense due to opt outs and injuries. They're without two cornerbacks, three defensive linemen, three linebackers, and one safety due to either the NFL Draft, Transfer Portal, or surgery. Two defensive ends, two defensive tackles, and one additional linebacker are also out because of injury.
Penn State might be missing key defensemen as well, like defensive lineman Zane Durant and cornerback A.J. Harris, but it's definitely not as long of a list as Clemson's. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton is still playing on Saturday. Klubnik will have a more difficult time against the Nittany Lions' defense than Grunkemeyer will against the Tigers'. The weather conditions also favor the blue and white.
Penn State's only a 2.5-point underdog, but expect an upset in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Myles Hannak - Penn State 35, Clemson 20