Dave Portnoy has never shied away from trolling Ohio State, but now the Buckeyes have answered back. Front Office Sports reported Thursday that OSU is barring the Barstool founder from entering Ohio Stadium for Saturday’s season opener against top-ranked Texas. The nationally televised clash also marks Portnoy’s FOX Sports debut.
The move comes less than a year after Portnoy’s infamous “Feast Week Rivalry” rant, where he promised to bankroll Michigan’s quarterback future. “I’m going to go get us a quarterback because I’m a Michigan man,” he said. “I’ll put my own money two to three million into this thing and I’ll make sure we have a quarterback. This will never happen again.”
That quarterback became five-star phenom Bryce Underwood, whom Portnoy claimed he helped land with the backing of billionaire Larry Ellison. Underwood was named Michigan’s starting quarterback earlier Thursday and reportedly received a $12.5 million NIL deal.
The backdrop also includes last Thursday’s NCAA ruling against Connor Stalions, the former Michigan staffer tied to the Wolverines’ in-person scouting operation. He resigned in November 2023 and received an eight-year show-cause penalty, effectively barring him from college athletics.
And yet, just hours after the Portnoy ban surfaced, Stalions re-inserted himself into the rivalry with a viral tweet aimed at the Barstool Sports founder: “You need tickets?” The post racked up more than 11,000 likes within an hour, instantly becoming part of the story.
You need tickets?
— Connor Stalions (@cpstalions) August 26, 2025
Portnoy quickly fired back with a tweet of his own: “I love this F-ing rivalry. One team has to win once in awhile for it to be considered a rivalry.”
For Michigan fans, the saga reinforces Portnoy’s claim that this is “the Renaissance of Michigan.” For Ohio State, the message was unmistakable: the trolling and taunting won’t be happening inside the Horseshoe.
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