Roughly a month into the college football season, Fox Sports initiated a major shakeup, suddenly ending its collaboration with Barstool Sports and Dave Portnoy for “Big Noon Kickoff,” as Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported.
The partnership was seen as Fox’s answer to ESPN’s College Gameday success with Pat McAfee, which has resulted in higher ratings and younger viewers.
A season and a third into the partnership, Fox Sports seems to have seen enough to end the experiment.
“Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports will no longer be appearing on Fox Sports’ ‘Big Noon Kickoff,’ according to sources briefed on the decision who were not authorized to speak publicly,” Marchand reported Friday night.
Marchand additionally relayed, “As for the abrupt timing of the decision, those sources said there was no smoking gun other than that the constant challenge of trying to unite Fox Sports’ more traditional show with Barstool’s persona proved unsustainable. The largest example of the issue was that Portnoy, a Michigan alum and booster, has faced disputes over his presence at Ohio State home games, with reports last year saying he was banned from being in the stadium.”
Portnoy, who founded Barstool Sports in 2003, provided his side of the news in a tweet, as seen below:
Just was told @AndrewMarchand is about to release an article saying I’ve been put on ice for @BNKonFOX I havent seen the article yet and he didnt call me for a quote but i can sum it up this way
Ohio State and Ryan Day bitched and moaned to the Big 10 and threatened Fox…
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) October 3, 2026
“Just was told [Andrew Marchand] is about to release an article saying I’ve been put on ice for [‘Big Noon’],” Portnoy wrote. “I haven’t seen the article yet, and he didn’t call me for a quote but I can sum it up this way.”
Portnoy continued, shifting the blame firmly onto Ohio State and the Buckeyes’ head football coach Ryan Day:
“Ohio State and Ryan Day b*tched and moaned to the Big 10 and threatened Fox till they had no choice. Juice wasn’t worth the squeeze and frankly I don’t blame them. Huge dollars at stake and you have Cryin Ryan throwing temper tantrums and making threats every few days on something I said. I always knew Ryan Day was soft but holy sh*t even I didn’t realize he was this soft [laughing-crying emoji] #Goblue
“The Barstool College Football will continue on. Maybe we’ll even see you in Columbus where contrary to popular belief most fans love the rivalry and aren’t p*ssies like Cryin Ryan.”
Last Saturday, Portnoy traveled to Columbus, Ohio for “Big Noon” ahead of No. 5 Ohio State’s win over Illinois. His “Barstool College Football Show” crew, however, did not accompany him. “We asked, and Ohio said we’re still not allowed,” Portnoy tweeted. Portnoy has been banned from doing the final hour of the show in Big Ten stadiums, something he has repeatedly blamed on Ohio State.
Barstool Sports and Fox Sports entered a partnership in July 2025. According to Marchand, Barstool Sports will continue its partnership with Fox Sports, with Wake Up Barstool.
Whether it was that lack of access, ratings, or viewer feedback, we have a rare midseason overhaul — a rarity for a pregame show. We’ll see if Fox mentions the change on air tomorrow, or if Pat McAfee opts to weigh in on the development.
About Megan Armstrong
Since first getting published as a student by the Kansas City Star in 2013, Megan Armstrong has gone wherever curiosity and stories have taken her, specializing in sports, media, music, and culture coverage. She also has an extensive background in interviewing and profiling public figures. Her work has appeared in Billboard, Boardroom, Bleacher Report, Esquire, GQ, GRAMMY.com, NYLON, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter, UPROXX, and elsewhere.