Penn State dug deep to earn a 2025 bowl game.
The Nittany Lions won their final three regular-season contests to finish 6-6, edging Rutgers 40-36 in Piscataway, N.J., on Nov. 29 to qualify for the postseason.
It has been an eventful year for the Nittany Lions. The same goes for Clemson, the team Penn State will face in the Dec. 27 Pinstripe Bowl in New York City.
Much like Penn State, Clemson was considered a preseason contender for the national championship. Both programs qualified for the 2024 college playoff. But the Tigers were 3-5 after eight games, losing to LSU (17-10), Georgia Tech (24-21), Syracuse (34-21), SMU (35-24) and Duke (46-45).
The storied ACC program rebounded, however, winning its final four games, one of the victories a 20-19 triumph at Louisville on Nov. 14.
Several Clemson players are facing NFL decisions. Look past their 7-5 record and know this: The Tigers had some legit difference-makers on defense, such as tackle Peter Woods, edge rusher T.J. Parker and cornerback Avieon Terrell.
The three players, all juniors, are viewed as potential first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft by Dane Brugler of The Athletic.
Since Clemson is not in the college playoff, some of them — or all of them — could decide to skip the bowl game.