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by WILL FOLKS
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Clemson University will close out its 2025 football campaign in the Bronx, playing Penn State in the fifteenth installment of the Pinstripe Bowl. The Tigers (7-5) and Nittany Lions (6-6) will kickoff at 12:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, December 27, 2025 at Yankee Stadium – the iconic baseball mecca which has hosted this game since its inception in 2010.
ABC will television the game nationally.
This “Bronx Zoo” battle features two of the nation’s most prestigious programs, with 107 combined bowl appearances (56 for PSU, 51 for Clemson), 60 bowl victories (33 for PSU, 27 for Clemson) and five national championships (3 for Clemson, 2 for PSU) between them.
Certainly, the Bronx was not where either team expected to be conclude their 2025 campaign. Both teams began the year as top College Football Playoff (CFP) contenders with legitimate national championship aspirations.
Penn State entered the fall ranked No. 2/3 nationally under 12th year head coach James Franklin – but stumbled to a 3-3 record, ultimately leading to Franklin’s firing. He has since accepted the head coaching position at Virginia Tech.
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In fairness to the Nittany Lions, five of their six losses came in one-score games – including a pair of one-score losses to top ten teams.
Last week, the school hired Matt Campbell to an eight-year deal, referring to him as “the right leader at the right time for Penn State Football.”
Clemson began the year ranked No. 4/6 nationally, but lost three of its first four games and fell out of the rankings completely. Head coach Dabo Swinney‘s team entered November with a 3-5 record – but reeled off four straight victories to close out the campaign (including a clutch road win over No. 20 Louisville).
Those victories secured the Tigers their 21st consecutive bowl appearance – tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the nation (behind only Georgia, Oklahoma and Alabama). Clemson has actually been bowl-eligible in every season dating back to 1999, but the Tigers declined to accept a bid following a brawl against South Carolina in the final game of the 2004 season.
“We are super excited to accept our invitation to the Pinstripe Bowl to be able to play in historic Yankee Stadium, to have Christmas in New York and to play a historic opponent like Penn State,” Swinney said. “I’ve been to a lot of bowls in my life as a player and coach at Alabama and as a coach at Clemson, but this is the first time in my life that I’ve had the opportunity to play in a bowl in New York City.”
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While Clemson and Penn State are among the most storied programs in college football, they’ve only met on the gridiron once – a decisive 35-10 Tiger victory in the 1988 Citrus Bowl. Former head coach Danny Ford‘s team – led by quarterback Rodney Williams – scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to deal Nittany Lions’ head coach Joe Paterno his worst bowl defeat ever.
This year’s Tiger squad is led by senior signal caller Cade Klubnik, who ranks fourth on the school’s all-time passing charts (behind Tajh Boyd, Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence) with 9,930 yards. Klubnik also ranks fourth in the Clemson record book with 73 career passing touchdowns.
The Austin, Texas native has added another 891 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground during his Clemson career.
Penn State’s offense is led by senior tailback Kaytron Allen, who has racked up 1,303 yards on 210 carries this season – securing his second consecutive 1,000-yard campaign. The 5-foot-11, 219-pound native of Norfolk, Virginia also has 15 touchdowns, which is tied for tops in the Big Ten.
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Joining Allen in the Nittany Lions’ backfield is fellow senior Nicholas Singleton, who also has a pair of 1,000-yard seasons under his belt. While technically Allen’s backup, Singleton is viewed by NFL analysts as a consensus top five running back in next year’s draft.
Running behind 6-foot-4, 323-pound junior guard Olaivavega Ioane – arguably the best interior lineman in the upcoming draft class – Allen and Singleton will test a Tigers’ defense which boasts projected NFL first round picks Peter Woods and T.J. Parker up front.
While it’s not the postseason destination either program envisioned, the Pinstripe Bowl promises to provide fans of both teams with a compelling matchup – not to mention one last look at some of the elite talent expected to come off the board early in next spring’s draft.
Penn State has opened as the early favorite in this game, with Clemson being installed as a 1.5-point underdog.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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