USA TODAY Sports predicts Clemson vs Penn State, Pinstripe Bowl winner

The Clemson Tigers are spending bowl season in New York with another team that had high expectations entering the 2025 college football season: the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Clemson, which entered the season ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, had to settle for Christmas in New York after wrapping up an otherwise disappointing season with a 7-5 record. The Tigers won their last four games of the regular season, including a 28-14 victory over rival South Carolina on Nov. 29.

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Penn State, which was ranked No. 3 in the preseason polls and climbed to No. 2 after starting the year 3-0, quickly fell apart in a manner of 60-plus minutes of bad football. The Nittany Lions fell to the Oregon Ducks in a double-overtime loss on Sept. 27, the start of a three-game losing streak that cost coach James Franklin his job.

Franklin has since been hired by Clemson rival Virginia Tech in the ACC, while Dabo Swinney faces increased calls to push his chips in on the transfer portal. The Tigers’ coach has said Clemson will use the transfer portal to address roster needs when the portal opens on Jan. 2, but he said he would not engage potential transfers ahead of time.

As for Penn State, the Nittany Lions’ losing streak reached six games before they closed the season with three straight wins: against Michigan State, Nebraska and Rutgers.

Will Clemson close the year on a five-game winning streak?

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USA TODAY Sports’ prediction for Clemson football vs Penn State in Pinstripe Bowl

USA TODAY Sports’ college football experts unveiled their picks and predictions for every bowl game, including Clemson-Penn State.

“College football’s bowl season has become quite chaotic, with coaches, players, and in some cases even schools on the move from one league to another. Predicting who might actually win these contests against that backdrop seems like a crapshoot, but we don’t mind rolling the dice on occasion, do we?” –Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY Sports.

Who do the six-man panel of experts see winning the Pinstripe Bowl?

Five of the six — Timanus, Paul Myerberg, Blake Toppmeyer, Erick Smith and Jordan Mendoza — see Clemson beating Penn State at Yankee Stadium. Veteran college football columnist Matt Hayes sees Penn State emerging victorious.

What is Clemson football’s history vs Penn State?

Clemson and Penn State have met only one other time: in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day 1988. Coach Danny Ford’s Tigers defeated Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions, 35-10, that day in Orlando, Florida.

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Clemson football vs. Penn State: start time, TV channel, announcers for 2025 Pinstripe Bowl

Kickoff for Clemson-Penn State is noon ET Saturday at Yankee Stadium in New York. The game will be televised on ABC. Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek will have the call of the game for ABC, with Taylor McGregor reporting from the sidelines.

How to listen to Clemson football vs Penn State on the radio

The radio broadcast of the Pinstripe Bowl can be heard on the Clemson Tigers app via the Clemson Athletic Network. Don Munson, Tim Bourret and Reggie Merriweather will have the call of the game on the radio. The Tigers’ radio broadcast can be heard on SiriusXM channel 84.

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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.

Find your local Clemson football radio affiliate below.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson football vs Penn State winner predicted by USA TODAY Sports