Clemson will be without 26 players for Pinstripe Bowl

GregInPitt said:
I don't believe the games are a joke. It's just not what we have been used to.

So far only a couple of players with eligibility to return for PSU have announced for the transfer portal, Schlaffer (TE) and Washington (CB) both positions of experience and depth. If Campbell, Terry Smith and the coaching staff in place can keep a high percentage of the players eligible to return PSU would have a pretty talented roster for the bowl game, and the practices for the game will be invaluable to Campbell and his staff in evaluating the returning players and determining the priorities for the transfer portal.

Regardless of who opts out and who decides to enter the transfer portal before the bowl game the game itself will likely give us our first look at a good many of the players that will take the field for PSU next Fall. PSU will likely return considerable talent at CB, Safety, LB, and DE on defense. Offense may be a crap shoot other than the OL where it would seem that most of next year's starters could be competing for those spots in the bowl practices due to the large number of seemingly talented young olinemen now on the roster that have been being developed by Trautwein the last few years. Even Grunk who will likely start and lead the offense for the bowl may get beat out by a more experienced transfer by next Fall.

But I'm still looking forward to watching the game.
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Agreed, this is a very valuable game and practice opportunity for current players and the new coaching staff for evaluation going forward.
 
sr108 said:
Agreed, this is a very valuable game and practice opportunity for current players and the new coaching staff for evaluation going forward.
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I also look at the game as kind of a bonus for us fans as well, as we will likely get an opportunity to see some of the younger players emerge in game game at a few positions. For example, sure Katron hasn't opted out but will he really play the whole game? Unlikely. He may get 10-15 carries mostly in the first half and we'll see who among Wallace, Martin, Smith and Hayes (Coleman out with injury) shows they may be the next lead RB for PSU in 2026. The OL could have the same game participation, with Ioane opting out and Cousins replacing him, but the other 4 starters only playing half to 3/4 of the game and giving us the opportunity to see the 2nd team (the core of next year's first team, subject to late transfers out or transfers in) OL.

None of the 3 starting WR's (all from the portal last year) have opted out, but I still expect to see a good bit of Howard and hopefully a couple other young WR's in the bowl game.
 
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NittanyLion99 said:
This all feels like the beginning of the end. Personally, I have little interest in watching a depleted Clemson team play a depleted PSU team in a freezing Yankee Stadium on Dec 27th. Honestly, this has less interest for me than the 3 cupcakes to start the season. If the players don't care, why should the fans? In the end, this charade will continue as long as enough people turn on their TVs to justify TV network payouts. If eyeballs drop off, the mediocre bowls, created by TV networks for content in December, will disappear.
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Actually I am looking forward to watching to see the younger players in action for a preview of who might do well next year. By the way, Coleman is going portal - huge loss.
 
RickinDayton said:
Actually I am looking forward to watching to see the younger players in action for a preview of who might do well next year. By the way, Coleman is going portal - huge loss.
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To each their own, but you're basically saying this is the Blue White game against Clemson and confirming that, as a football game, it is meaningless.
 
NittanyLion99 said:
To each their own, but you're basically saying this is the Blue White game against Clemson and confirming that, as a football game, it is meaningless.
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Don't really see the cause and effect there.

Lots of PSU fans will be in attendence and watching the broadcast. And the players, after practicing for a couple of weeks, will be risking injury and putting in the effort to try and win the game. That doesn't sound meaningless.
 
GregInPitt said:
Don't really see the cause and effect there.

Lots of PSU fans will be in attendence and watching the broadcast. And the players, after practicing for a couple of weeks, will be risking injury and putting in the effort to try and win the game. That doesn't sound meaningless.
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Again, to each their own, but the result means nothing. Two pedestrian .500 teams that thought they'd be playing for a natty, will instead play a scrimmage in a baseball stadium in the Bronx in a half empty stadium. Those pedestrian teams will have a number of their best players who don't care enough to play because it is a meaningless scrimmage created by ESPN in 2010 for 3 hrs of December programming. I'm glad that you enjoy it.
 
NittanyLion99 said:
Again, to each their own, but the result means nothing. Two pedestrian .500 teams that thought they'd be playing for a natty, will instead play a scrimmage in a baseball stadium in the Bronx in a half empty stadium. Those pedestrian teams will have a number of their best players who don't care enough to play because it is a meaningless scrimmage created by ESPN in 2010 for 3 hrs of December programming. I'm glad that you enjoy it.
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Again, a win gives PSU a winning record which is an accomplishment of sorts as the team will have won 4 games to get to that winning record. A loss gives them a losing record, not something the players want to be responsible for.

If you're not going to watch the game that's on you. But I believe the majority of PSU fans will watch for the reasons discussed in this thread.

If Penn State playing in the Pinstripe Bowl is not meaningful to a person, why would that person be here discussing who's playing and who's not in that game (i.e. the topic of this thread).......?
 
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GregInPitt said:
Again, a win gives PSU a winning record which is an accomplishment of sorts as the team will have won 4 games to get to that winning record. A loss gives them a losing record, not something the players want to be responsible for.

If you're not going to watch the game that's on you. But I believe the majority of PSU fans will watch for the reasons discussed in this thread.
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Of course the game has meaning. It's our team. It's been mine since 1968 while also being a two time graduate. It's similar to attending my own kids' athletics and school events. It's done regardless of whether or not a trophy is involved.
 
NittanyLion99 said:
To each their own, but you're basically saying this is the Blue White game against Clemson and confirming that, as a football game, it arguments why the game is not meaningless. It’s not a playoff game and it means nothing
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NittanyLion99 said:
To each their own, but you're basically saying this is the Blue White game against Clemson and confirming that, as a football game, it is meaningless.
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The extra practice and evaluation time for the players and new coaches has a lot of meaning.
 
I think it's like this:

Is there value in playing the game? Yes.

Is it worth watching? Yes.

Is it worth winning? Yes.

Is it a meaningful matchup or test of strength of the two teams that actually played the 2025 regular season? No.

I grew up in an era where bowls were usually contests between more or less evenly matched teams that had successful seasons. The starters all showed up. There was often an intersectional and inter-conference angle that added to the interest. The games were meaningful on their own terms as indicators of a team's strength and quality that season.

It took me a few years to adjust to the entirely different landscape where the best draft-eligible players aren't even on the field, where the non-playoff bowls simply don't count for much except as scrimmages nor attract nearly the same amount of interest as in the old days. I mean, the equation has totally changed.

Bottom line: if you adjust expectations and accept the new reality for whatever benefits it brings, you can enjoy the ride such as it is.
 
Frank Lee said:
Now that you mention it, does any of college football have any meaning in the long run? ⛩️🧘‍♂️
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Indeed, let's drill deeper: does life itself have meaning?

Haha! Never mind.

But seriously, re the bowl game, it all depends on one's criteria for the word "meaningful."

The game is meaningful for the reasons that some have outlined in the thread.

It is not meaningful as an indicator of either team's comparative quality or performance during the 2025 season...for the obvious reason that the teams taking the field for the bowl game will not be the same as those that played during the regular season.

There is no contradiction between the two statements.
 
NittanyLion99 said:
So you're saying that the meaning of a bowl game is practice time. This is going from bad to worse.
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I guess it’s a personal thing. For example, the current college playoff games have zero meaning for me personally. Last year I watched The games PSU played and the games of potential PSU matchups.

Last night I put the lights on a Christmas tree for a family party tonight. Didn’t watch any games, and not watching any games today. Making meatballs, sausage and sauce for the party.
 
sr108 said:
I guess it’s a personal thing. For example, the current college playoff games have zero meaning for me personally. Last year I watched The games PSU played and the games of potential PSU matchups.

Last night I put the lights on a Christmas tree for a family party tonight. Didn’t watch any games, and not watching any games today. Making meatballs, sausage and sauce for the party.
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I get that too. I watched last night because I was bored. Today, I have things to do.
 
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