An interesting storyline is developing as Ohio State prepares to play Texas in the marquee matchup of college football Week 1. Front Office Sports’ reported that Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who just so happens to be an avid Michigan fan, has been banned from entering Ohio Stadium for the Texas-Ohio State game.
Fox added Portnoy to the “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show which competes against ESPN’s “College GameDay” as the two primary college football pregame shows. Ohio State has since refuted this report noting that Fox has decided that Portnoy will not enter any stadium this season, per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
The Week 1 game is set to be the Fox debut for Portnoy, a vocal Michigan fan.
“Ohio State did not issue a ban on Dave Portnoy, AD Ross Bjork tells @YahooSports,” Dellenger detailed in a series of August 26, 2025, messages on X. “Bjork confirms that FOX decided Portnoy would not be on the main desk of Big Noon Kickoff and those not on the desk do not normally appear on the field. These are Fox decisions, he emphasized.
“A Big Ten spokesperson tells @YahooSports that it is the league’s understanding from Fox that Dave Portnoy will not appear on Big Noon Kickoff’s main stage inside the stadium of any conference school this year.”
Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing sage between Portnoy and Ohio State.
Dave Portnoy Claims Ohio State Did Ban Him For Showdown vs. Texas
Portnoy released a lengthy video response on X, doubling down on the report that Ohio State banned him from being inside the stadium. The analyst indicated that it was Ohio State who was behind the decision, not Fox.
Portnoy added that the travel had already been booked for Columbus prior to the recent news.
“So the big story involving me right now is Ohio State banning me from entering ‘The Shoe’ to be part of ‘Big Noon Kickoff’ on the field,” Portnoy explained in an August 26, video posted on X. “They also banned the Barstool Sports’ college football show. We were supposed to be in Columbus, we talked about being in Columbus, and then we got word that Ohio State was not going to allow us to be on campus with ‘Big Noon Kickoff.’
“… I have no problem Ross Bjork and Ohio State, but this is my advice. …Just own up. Be like, ‘You know what? Michigan is a bully and they beat the piss out of us. And when they walk down the street, we cross to the other side and we got to get better.
“And you know what, yeah, we did ban Dave. We did ban Dave because we are so hateful against Michigan. And I don’t care. You want to call us soft.’ Just own what you do. Just own what you do.”
Barstool Founder Dave Portnoy Is a Massive Michigan Fan & Rumored To Be Involved With Wolverines’ NIL Efforts
At the center of the controversy is Portnoy’s allegiance to Michigan. Portnoy has been open about his support for Michigan and is rumored to be involved in the Wolverines’ NIL efforts.
The Barstool analyst has not been shy when given the opportunity to take a jab at Ohio State. It will be worth watching to see if Portnoy is featured on “Big Noon Kickoff” ahead of Ohio State’s showdown versus Texas.
Dave Portnoy Sends Clear Message on Ban by Claiming Ohio State Is Lying