Ohio State says it didn't ban Barstool founder Dave Portnoy from Ohio Stadium ahead of Texas game

Ohio State says that Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is not barred from entering the stadium ahead of Saturday’s game between No. 1 Texas and the No. 3 Buckeyes.

Portnoy is set to be part of Fox’s pregame show “Big Noon Kickoff” in 2025. A report Monday said that Ohio State wasn’t going to let Portnoy, a Michigan graduate, into the stadium ahead of the game, as Fox’s pregame show has a set on the field when on location at games the network is broadcasting at Noon ET.

But Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork told Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger that Portnoy — a noted internet antagonist — was not scheduled to be on the set on the field and that the school didn’t ban him.

The Big Ten corroborated Bjork’s statement.

Front Office Sports published the initial report about Portnoy on Monday and noted in it that “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.”

Tuesday morning, Portnoy issued an over five-minute video explaining his side of the situation while wearing a Michigan hat. In it, he said that Fox got put in a “weird spot” and that he’s “rooting for the Big Ten” in the game.

The kerfuffle surrounding Portnoy is an attention boost for Fox’s pregame show ahead of the biggest game of college football's opening weekend. Texas is the preseason No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 for the first time and has QB Arch Manning entering his first season as the team's starter. Ohio State won the first 12-team College Football Playoff last season.

"Big Noon Kickoff" traditionally rates behind ESPN’s long-running “College GameDay” on Saturday mornings. Saturday’s show is also going head-to-head with the final “GameDay” for beloved analyst Lee Corso as he’s set to retire after Week 1.