Dave Portnoy will not be allowed into Ohio Stadium for Ohio State's big matchup with No. 1 Texas in Week 1 of the college football season, according to a story from Ryan Glasspiegel at Front Office Sports.
Portnoy will still appear on Fox's Big Noon Kickoff, but will not be allowed inside the stadium for the end of the show. Fox and Barstool forged a deal in July, and part of that deal included Portnoy making appearances on the channel's flagship college football show. Barstool content is also set to be featured on FS1.
Portnoy is a Michigan alum and has been vocal in his support of his alma mater in the past, which has included taking shots at the school's biggest rival.
According to FOS, “One source said Fox anticipated having issues with Portnoy and Ohio State and that the network’s original plan did not include him entering the stadium.”
Reactions to Dave Portnoy Being Banned From Ohio State
After the news broke that Ohio State was banning Portnoy from the stadium ahead of the big game, reactions immediately poured in. Portnoy posted a shot of himself with a mustache and glasses on, to which infamous former Michigan assistant Connor Stalions replied, "You need tickets?"
You need tickets?
— Connor Stalions (@cpstalions) August 26, 2025
Others online noted that Ohio State’s decision would only be turned into more content.
Whether you like Dave Portnoy or not, he's a member of Fox Big Noon Kickoff team now and Ohio State barring him is petty.
— Trevor Woods (@WoodsFootball) August 26, 2025
Michigan should ban Urban Meyer from Michigan Stadium for the same logic. https://t.co/byyWnhHU5l
We will never hear the end of Ohio State banning @stoolpresidente from The Shoe. Buckeyes gave DP and Fox Sports execs a layup for the debut on “Big Noon Kickoff” this Saturday.
— Mark J. Burns (@markjburns88) August 26, 2025
Besides being insanely soft, all Ohio State is doing here is pissing off its biggest business partner - FOX.
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) August 26, 2025
Im sure Portnoy is on a multi year contract.
They're just not gonna allow him any time Big Noon comes to Columbus (generally 2-3 times a year).
Pyscho behavior 🤦♂️🤦♂️ https://t.co/PL0eVPxP1Z
Portnoy will certainly not let this go, and Ohio State may have just earned itself a ton of grief from a lot of people for this decision.
Ohio State AD Pushes Back on Report
Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork responded to the report on Tuesday morning, telling Yahoo Sports college football reporter Ross Dellenger that the university did not issue a ban on Portnoy. Bjork stated that it was a FOX decision to not have Portnoy on the field.
Ohio State did not issue a ban on Dave Portnoy, AD Ross Bjork tells @YahooSports. 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.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 26, 2025
More College Football on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ohio State Reportedly Bans Dave Portnoy From Stadium for Texas Game.
