Ohio State and Texas will have all the attention as the biggest matchup of Week 1 of the 2025 college football season. However, the Buckeyes are already making headlines one week early for reportedly banning Fox Sports analyst and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy from attending the game.
Amid reports of Portnoy's banning, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork has claimed that the decision did not come from the school. Bjork stated that the decision to remove Portnoy, who signed a deal to join Fox Sports' Big Noon Kickoff show in July, came from the broadcast network and not the Buckeyes, he told Yahoo Sports.
“Ohio State did not issue a ban of Dave Portnoy,” Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger tweeted. “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.”
The decision turned heads due to Portnoy's well-known affiliation with Michigan, his alma mater. Although another ex-Wolverine will be on the broadcast, Charles Woodson, Portnoy is known for his unfiltered takes and has never hidden his disdain for Ohio State.
How Portnoy portrays himself with Fox Sports will be an interesting dynamic. His entire brand with Barstool Sports is based on their raw and unfiltered approach to the media, which is not typically seen on a professional broadcast.
Dave Portnoy responds to Ohio State football banning
Regardless of what Bjork claims, Portnoy has not been happy with the decision. The 48-year-old unleashed a scathing attack on social media, targeting Ohio State, which he still believes is behind the decision. Portnoy is insistent that his removal from the broadcast is due to his connection to Michigan.
“[FOX] definitely got put in a weird spot,” Portnoy said. “How could anybody see that cryin' Ryan Day and Ohio State would be this soft? I mean, they got a big game vs. Texas coming up, a game I'm rooting for. I'm rooting for the Big 10. But Michigan has just broken Ohio State… They wake up, they think about Michigan. They go to sleep, they think about Michigan.”
I want Michigan vs Ohio to mean something again. And I love the people of Columbus outside the football team they root for. Good clean hardworking people. So I am going to give Buckeye Nation free advice. Stop pointing the finger. Look in the mirror. Get better. Get tougher. https://t.co/ZltE91GVtn pic.twitter.com/MLmnMkZI4q
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 26, 2025
Portnoy filmed his entire reaction wearing a Michigan hat, just in case anybody forgot which side he is on.
Barring another last-minute change, Portnoy's Fox Sports debut will have to wait a week. He will likely make his grand entrance in Week 2, for which the network has yet to decide on a host site for ‘Big Noon Kickoff.'
