Ohio State may be the defending national champion and unquestioned top team in the country, but they still aren’t getting any love from Michigan alum Dave Portnoy.
The Barstool head honcho and newest Fox Sports team member was joined by Barstool colleagues Kayce Smith, Dan “Big Cat” Katz, and Brandon Walker, as well as Mark Ingram of Big Noon Kickoff, for their weekly segment together on Fox’s Saturday morning pregame show.
As the Barstool crew discussed some of the biggest games of the day, they turned their attention to a tricky test facing the top-ranked Buckeyes at the undefeated Washington Huskies.
Both Big Cat and Portnoy picked Washington to pull the upset, but Portnoy couldn’t resist getting in another shot at his favorite target – Ohio State head coach Ryan Day.
Dave Portnoy and Big Cat both pick Washington to upset Ohio State today and Portnoy has some thoughts.
“Nobody panics and pees down their leg faster than Ryan Day and Ohio State.” pic.twitter.com/3kztgsSCdw
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 27, 2025
“I am an Ohio State expert. You get them in deep water, nobody panics and pees down their leg like Ryan Day and Ohio State. Any time they are in trouble, they fold. We’ve seen it versus Michigan. I think, Washington, you keep that third, fourth quarter, you’ll see the true Ohio State team come out when they can’t be the bully,” Portnoy said.
You have to give Portnoy this: even the most diehard Buckeye fans will admit Ohio State has looked panicked and not itself when they have played Michigan the last few years. Their home loss last year against a Wolverines team that could barely complete a forward pass was shocking.
However, since that game, all Ryan Day and the Buckeyes have done is defeat five straight Top 10 teams on the way to a national championship and a season-opening victory over Texas. Those wins should have been good enough for Day to escape the moniker of being a choker or unable to get his teams ready to play in big games.
Of course, the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan goes beyond any trophies. And judging by these comments, Portnoy is still not going to be welcome inside Ohio Stadium the next time Big Noon Kickoff makes its return to Columbus.
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