How Clemson football, Penn State made Pinstripe Bowl after CFP aspirations
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If someone said Clemson football was meeting Penn State in a postseason game entering the 2025 season, many would assume it would be in the College Football Playoff.
The Tigers were ranked No. 6 in the preseason coaches poll, and the Nittany Lions were No. 3. Both came off of CFP appearances in 2024, returned experienced rosters with NFL-caliber quarterbacks with Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Drew Aller (Penn State) and had capable coaching with Dabo Swinney (Clemson) and James Franklin (Penn State).
Instead, Clemson (7-5) will face Penn State (6-6) in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27 (noon ET, ABC) at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, as both woefully fell short of making the CFP.
“… Disappointing start, both had high expectations, but football is football,” Swinney said Dec. 9 at the Pinstripe Bowl press conference. “Football is hard and it doesn’t always go your way, but most of the time it gets worse when things go bad.”
Swinney has had only one worse season in his 17 years at Clemson than in 2025. The Tigers started 1-3, including two conference losses. The Tigers lost their most games under Swinney since 2010 and finished with a losing record at home for the first time since 1998.
Clemson avoided complete calamity by finishing the regular season on a four-game win streak to be bowl eligible for the 21st year in a row.
Penn State started the year 3-0, but a double overtime home loss to Oregon derailed its season. The Nittany Lions proceeded to lose two more games in October, leading to the school firing 12-year coach James Franklin, who Virginia Tech hired as its coach in November.
Terry Smith became Penn State’s interim coach, but the Nittany Lions lost three more games to be 3-6. Penn State put together three straight wins in November, though, to be bowl eligible for the fifth year in a row.
“Obviously our year hadn’t gone the way we thought it would go from the beginning,” Smith said. “We went through the coaching change, I took over midseason, and right now, we’re on a three-game winning streak.”
As a result, Clemson and Penn State both are undergoing changes to be better next season.
Swinney will likely make staff changes and be active in the transfer portal after the disappointing year. Clemson already lost senior offensive analyst/assistant quarterbacks coach John Grass to Samford, and he could take some Tigers assistants with him. Clemson will also lose strength coach Joey Batson, who will retire after 27 seasons and be replaced by current assistant football strength and conditioning coach Dennis Love.
Clemson had four decommitments in its 2026 recruiting class and several talented juniors have announced they will enter the 2026 NFL Draft instead of coming back to the Tigers, including defensive tackle Peter Woods, cornerback Avieon Terrell and wide receiver Antonio Williams. This as well as potentially 20 seniors departing will cause Swinney to bring in another portal class after adding three players last year.
Penn State hired former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell as its next coach on Dec. 8. Smith will coach the Nittany Lions in the bowl game and will be an assistant on Campbell’s staff. Similar to Clemson, Campbell will likely have to rebuild Penn State’s roster with players running out of eligibility and going to the NFL.
Penn State also only signed two players in its 2026 recruiting class as many flipped to Virginia Tech to join Franklin. Campbell will have to pursue recruits for February signing day or retool the roster via the portal.
These decisions will come for both programs in the coming months, but Swinney and Smith expressed how much they want to win this bowl game first.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Swinney said. “I think any time you get a chance to represent Clemson, represent Penn State, it’s a special opportunity, and to be able to do it on a stage like the Pinstripe Bowl presents for everyone, it’s a unique experience.”
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at DCarter@usatodayco.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: How Clemson football, Penn State made Pinstripe Bowl instead of CFP
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