The college football world was stunned when it was reported that Barstool Sports founder and new Fox college football analyst Dave Portnoy would be banned from Ohio Stadium during Saturday’s highly anticipated matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns.
After former Ohio State linebacker and current radio personality Bobby Carpenter and reporter Austin Ward floated that Portnoy would possibly not be allowed in the stadium, Front Office Sports reported that a ban would in fact be in place. Dave Portnoy would be appearing outside the stadium for his debut episode of Big Noon Kickoff before the Ohio State-Texas clash, but would not be allowed inside the stadium.
But now Ohio State says that is not the case.
According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, Ohio State athletic directer Ross Bjork says that the Buckeyes have not banned Portnoy from entering the Horseshoe. He says that it is instead a Fox Sports decision.
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
Ohio State reporter Patrick Murphy added an additional clarifying statement from the university about the process of going inside the stadium for Big Noon Kickoff and why Portnoy won’t be involved in the last part of the show.
Ohio State explains why Dave Portnoy won’t be on the desk on FOX inside Ohio Stadium on Saturday: pic.twitter.com/CSnnBMc1fa
— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) August 26, 2025
Let’s be honest, a stadium ban for Dave Portnoy doesn’t make a lot of sense from an Ohio State perspective. Yes, he is a diehard Michigan fan. Yes, he has had some very unflattering things to say about Ohio State. But that’s what the rivalry is all about. A stadium ban from Ohio State only serves Portnoy and gives even more fuel to his fire. And it makes the school look scared of him, as if he might tackle the sousaphone player dotting the “i” during Script Ohio.
The decision coming from Fox Sports would make a bit more sense. Portnoy can rev up the fans outside the stadium and build a party-like atmosphere (or even stir up some controversy in Columbus) and get eyeballs on the product. But when it comes to the business of going inside the stadium, the network might feel like it would be too much of a distraction.
Portnoy’s addition has further complicated the relationship between Fox Sports and Ohio State. The Big Ten’s lead rightsholder has leaned on the Buckeyes to help make Big Noon Saturday a premier window during college football Saturdays. But it has come amidst the angst of fans who feel that they should be able to enjoy more primetime contests.
We expected the addition of Dave Portnoy to the Fox Big Noon pregame show to create a lot of headlines this season as the show looks set to compete with College GameDay once again. But we never thought it would happen before he even made an appearance.
UPDATE: Later on Tuesday, Portnoy addressed Bjork in a social media video contradicting the statements of the Ohio State athletic director and saying he was indeed banned.
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