Dave Portnoy might not know exactly what his role on Big Noon Kickoff will be this fall, but at least one of his new colleagues has a clearer picture.
Despite the media attention surrounding Portnoy’s addition to Fox Sports’ flagship college football show, the Barstool Sports founder admitted Thursday on The Unnamed Show that he still doesn’t know whether he’ll even be on the main set. But Chris “The Bear” Fallica, who joined in 2023 after decades at ESPN’s College GameDay, suggested viewers shouldn’t expect a Pat McAfee-style takeover.
“I think there’s a little bit of a misconception out there,” Fallica told Nick Kostos on You Better You Bet on Audacy’s BetMGM Network. “I think a lot of people are just thinking, ‘Oh, it’s gonna be like Pat McAfee on GameDay where Dave’s going to be on set every segment,’ and it’s not going to be the case. He’s going to be on the set for some segments, sure, but it’s not going to be like you’re adding the fifth analyst on the set at all times. It’s not going to be that.”
Fallica framed Portnoy’s arrival as more of a jolt of personality than a fundamental restructuring of the show. And that lines up with recent reporting from Puck’s John Ourand, who noted that Fox executives — along with Big Ten leadership — view Portnoy as a potential “on-air fanboy” for the conference, someone who could bring passion, controversy, and viral moments to a show still carving out its identity opposite College GameDay.
For Fallica, who spent years watching ESPN experiment with talent integrations, Fox’s move to inject Big Noon with Portnoy’s brash persona seems more calculated than gimmicky.
“I think there definitely is some curiosity with that,” he admitted. “And I think it gives the show a little jolt. So, kudos to my bosses for adding a little spice to not only the Big Noon show but the FS1 lineup, as well.”
Whether Portnoy is ready for a pregame show built around football — rather than himself — is still an open question. But, as far as Fox is concerned, the goal is to ensure that people don’t change the channel to ESPN.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.