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Nothing can stop Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy from having fun, not even Ohio State winning a national title. With the Buckeyes headed to the CFP National Championship Game on Jan. 20, Portnoy addressed the game as a Michigan football fan with a five-minute rant on social media.
“When you look at Jack Sawyer, and you're cheering like, ‘That's an Ohio State legend,' can you be an Ohio State legend and never have beaten Michigan?” Portnoy said in a video on X, formerly Twitter. “I don't think you can. The great Woody Hayes said if you lose to Michigan, you're season's a failure. He said that not me.”
If Ohio State wins the Natty, does it even mean anything since they got embarrassed by Michigan? @stoolpresidente pic.twitter.com/fdTLhquAnR
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 11, 2025
Portnoy continued, claiming that Ryan Day would have been fired if the playoffs had not expanded to 12 teams in 2024. The Michigan alum took pride in believing that the Wolverines' 13-10 win over the Buckeyes to end the year ruined two of the team's “three goals” of the year.
“The expanded playoffs led middle-of-the-road teams like Ohio State in. You get in, catch lightning in a bottle and get hot… If you're Ohio State, you accomplish one out of your three goals [If you beat Notre Dame]. [The goals were] win the Big 10, beat Michigan [and] win a national title. First two, epic failures. National title matters, though.”
Barstool's Dave Portnoy says Ohio State win improves Michigan football rivalry
While most Michigan football fans would hate nothing more than an Ohio State national championship, Portnoy sees otherwise. Portnoy stated that he does not care who wins the CFP National Championship Game due to his equal distaste for Notre Dame. However, he believes that a win for the Buckeyes would make ‘The Game' in 2025 an even bigger deal.
“You can't compare if Ohio State wins this year to [Michigan] last year. I don't even care if Ohio State wins this year, to be honest… I actually think it's good for the rivalry, if you can call it that. At least we have something to get up for. Oh, there's the defending paper title national champions… Michigan-Ohio State, the last two national champions, it has a nice ring to it.”
If Michigan beats Ohio State for the fifth straight year in 2025, Portnoy sees the teams rematching in the ensuing College Football Playoffs. He claimed that he “likes” a national championship for his rivals as it would give meaning to the inevitable matchup other than extending a winning streak.
“Right now, Ohio State, you pet 'em on the head like, ‘Good job little buddy, you accomplished one out of your three goals. We'll see you Thanksgiving weekend, we'll beat the piss out of you just like we do every year. And this [year], unlike last year, we'll probably see you in the playoffs and we'll beat the piss out of you again. So I think I like Ohio State winning this thing. [It] makes the rivalry sort of important again. We get to beat the national champs and not just lowly Ohio State.”
The two are scheduled to face each other on Nov. 29. If all goes according to plan for both programs, the winner will likely fly to Indianapolis the following week for the Big 10 Championship Game. The Buckeyes have not even competed for a conference title since 2020, while Michigan has taken the crown in three of the past four years.
