Clemson favorite against Penn State Amid Opt-Out Chaos

Clemson is a 4.5-point favorite over Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl as opt-outs reshape the matchup and bettors split on the spread and total.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 29 Clemson at South Carolina | Icon Sportswire/GettyImagesTwo weeks from now, college football’s long road bends into Yankee Stadium — and Clemson arrives with quiet leverage. The Tigers opened as 4.5-point favorites against Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27, noon ET, ABC), a number shaped as much by availability as reputation.

Both programs began the year with Top-5 aspirations. Both missed them. And now both bring altered rosters to a game that looks nothing like the preseason promise. Clemson (7-5) went 5-7 against…