ESPN predicts Clemson football vs Penn State winner in Pinstripe Bowl

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

The Clemson Tigers will look to close the 2025 college football season on a five-game winning streak when they face the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Pinstripe Bowl Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

Despite seasons that began with high expectations only to completely sputter by September and October, Clemson (7-5) and Penn State (6-6) nevertheless enter their bowl game matchup on winning streaks.

The Tigers defeated South Carolina, 28-14, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia to close the regular season. Cade Klubnik completed 24 of his 39 passes and threw for 268 yards in the win over the Gamecocks.

Sophomore Clemson receiver T.J. Moore had six catches totaling 101 yards, and running back Adam Randall rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. The Tigers’ defense shut out South Carolina and quarterback LaNorris Sellers in the second half, aided by two key Ricardo Jones interceptions.

Jones’ 12-yard interception return for a touchdown with 3:20 to play gave Clemson a 14-point lead to put the game out of reach. Clemson’s win over South Carolina was its ninth in the series’ last 11 meetings.

Penn State (6-6) closed its regular season with three straight wins to become bowl eligible after dropping six straight beginning in late September. The Nittany Lions fired coach James Franklin on Oct. 12 following a 22-21 home loss to Northwestern, the Nittany Lions’ third in a row after they had previously risen to No. 2 in the polls.

Penn State rallied to defeat Rutgers, 40-36, in its regular season finale on Nov. 29 behind a strong running game. The Nittany Lions totaled 300 yards on the ground with leading rusher Kaytron Allen finishing the day with a career-high 226 yards to go with a touchdown.

Will Clemson beat Penn State in Pinstripe Bowl? ESPN’s prediction

While oddsmakers have Clemson as a 3 1/2-point favorite over the Tigers entering the Pinstripe Bowl, ESPN analytics has its own odds for Saturday’s game.

ESPN’s matchup predictor, which offers a prediction model based on its college football power index and other variables, gives Penn State a 65.3% chance to win and Clemson a 34.7% chance.

The Tigers are 30th in ESPN’s latest FPI ratings. Clemson has an 9.8 overall FPI rating. Penn State has a 15.7 rating that’s 17th in ESPN’s metrics.

ACC football teams ranked by ESPN FPI nearing 2025 season’s end

  • 17. Syracuse Orange (-9.4 FPI)
  • 16. North Carolina Tar Heels (-6.3 FPI)
  • 15. Boston College Eagles (-5.3 FPI)
  • 14. Stanford Cardinal (-3.9 FPI)
  • 13. California Golden Bears (-3.6 FPI)
  • 12. Virginia Tech Hokies (-1.8 FPI)
  • 11. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (0.5 FPI)
  • 10. NC State Wolfpack (3.3 FPI)
  • 9. Duke Blue Devils (5.7 FPI)
  • 8. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7.0 FPI)
  • 7. Virginia Cavaliers (7.1 FPI)
  • 6. Pitt Panthers (7.8 FPI)
  • 5. Florida State Seminoles (9.0 FPI)
  • 4. Clemson Tigers (9.8 FPI)
  • 3. Louisville Cardinals (9.9 FPI)
  • 2. SMU Mustangs (12.1 FPI)
  • 1. Miami Hurricanes (20.9 FPI)

Top 10 college football teams, ranked by ESPN FPI after CFP first-round

Here are the top 10 teams ranked by ESPN FPI heading into Week 14 of the 2025 college football season.

What is ESPN College Football Power Index (FPI)?

ESPN explains:

“The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete.”

Clemson football vs. Penn State start time, TV information for Pinstripe Bowl

Kickoff for Clemson-Penn State in the 2025 Pinstripe Bowl is noon ET Saturday at Yankee Stadium in New York. The game can be seen on ABC. Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek will call the game for ABC. Taylor McGregor will report from the sidelines.

Additionally, Clemson-Penn State will broadcast on ESPN Radio. Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Trevor Matich (analyst) and Caroline Hendershot (sideline) will have the national radio call of the game.

Clemson football schedule 2025

All start times Eastern.

  • Aug. 30: vs. LSU (L, 17-10)
  • Sept. 6: vs. Troy (W, 27-16)
  • Sept. 13: at Georgia Tech (L, 24-21)
  • Sept. 20: vs. Syracuse (L, 34-21)
  • Oct. 4: at North Carolina (W, 38-10)
  • Oct. 11: at Boston College (W, 41-10)
  • Oct. 18: vs. SMU, (L, 35-24)
  • Nov. 1: vs. Duke (L, 46-45)
  • Nov. 8: vs. Florida State (W, 24-10)
  • Nov. 14: at Louisville (W, 20-19)
  • Nov. 22: vs. Furman (W, 45-10)
  • Nov. 29: at South Carolina (W, 28-14)
  • Dec. 27: vs. Penn State (Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium)

Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.

This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson football odds of beating Penn State in bowl game, per ESPN

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos