Pinstripe Bowl Best Bets: Penn State vs. Clemson
The Penn State Nittany Lions (6-6) will face the Clemson Tigers (7-5) for the 16th edition of the Pinstripe Bowl. It's expected to be a frigid night in Yankee Stadium, and potential sleet or snow is in the forecast.
This matchup would have sounded like a CFP first-round match at the beginning of the season, but both teams experienced massive struggles and barely attained bowl eligibility.
Penn State fired head coach James Franklin (now at Virginia Tech), and Clemson's Dabo Swinney drew his fair share of criticism as the season fell off the rails. Both teams are also riddled with absences entering this game, which makes this matchup even more difficult to predict.
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Penn State vs Clemson Pinstripe Bowl Betting Odds
Spread: Clemson -2.5 (BetRivers Sportsbook), Penn State +2.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Total: Over 47.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook), Under 48.5 (BetMGM)
Moneyline: Clemson -141 (BetRivers), Penn State +124 (DraftKings)
None of the three major betting metrics has seen much movement, although public money for the Nittany Lions has caused the spread to drop a full point over the past couple of days. The moneyline has been bullish on Clemson throughout, and the projected total has remained steady with a one-point deviation among the most popular sportsbooks.
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Penn State vs Clemson Betting Picks for Pinstripe Bowl
When tackling this game, we must take the many absences for both teams into account. The most glaring deficiencies come from the defenses of both teams. Most of Clemson's core is missing, with Wade Woodaz, T.J. Parker, Avieon Terrell and DeMonte Capehart all absent. One feather in DC Tom Allen' cap is Will Heldt, who will be available and has been one of Clemson's best defenders.
The Nittany Lions are similarly snakebitten on defense, with most of their preiovus starting linebackers and defensive backs out for the contest. In terms of experience, Clemson's backups have seen more time in lopsided affairs, but they've also looked pretty poor once the benches emptied out. Both of the offenses are mostly intact, but Cade Klubnik has experienced struggles without Antonio Williams at his disposal, and Penn State's running backs won't be as fresh without Nicholas Singleton suiting up.
Ultimately, I think defensive quality and weather should be the difference-makers in this matchup, and while the Nittany Lions have more overall absences, Clemson's group of missing defensive standouts seem more impactful on paper. The game shapes up to be a messy, chaotic encounter, and I'm going to avoid the outcome and instead bank on a low total.
Penn State vs Clemson Expert Pick: UNDER 48.5 (-115, BetMGM)
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Although there are a few interesting positional battles to watch in this game, the duel between Kaytron Allen and Adam Randall will likely have the biggest impact. Both teams rely on a solid running game to keep their offenses humming, and it was certainly surprising to see both players listed as active in the contest, and we say see limited snaps from both players, as both of them are trending toward declaring for the NFL Draft.
If that's the scenario, we may see glimpses from future starts for both teams, namely Gideon Davidson for Clemson and Quinton Martin for Penn State. Although the Nittany Lions have some blue-chip RB recruits in the pipeline, Martin will likely get a chance to show his stuff in the bowl game and will definitely see more time if Allen ends up taking a seat. Both offensive lines are mostly intact, and should both have good games the shorthanded frontlines of both teams.
It will also be Cade Klubnik's last opportunity to show his stuff to the NFL, as he's yet to make concrete decision to forgo his senior season and declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. How that intangible will affect his bottom line is anyone's guess, but he has a slight upper hand over Ethan Grunkemeyer in this postseason experience.
Score Prediction: Clemson 23, Penn State 17
Pinstripe Bowl Player Props Best Bets for Saturday, December 27
Clemson RB Adam Randall - Over 70.5 Rush Yards (Underdog)
Penn State's depleted set of linebackers should give Randall a few opportunities to log a few breakaways, especially considering his full complement of offensive linemen showing up for the contest.
Penn State RB Kaytron Allen - Under 141.5 Rushing + Rec Yards (Underdog)
I'm banking on a diminished game from Allen due to his current NFL status, although he will still get plenty of early opportunities.
