Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy is known for his strong, unfiltered opinions, and Ohio State’s dominant run to the CFP National Championship Game hasn’t escaped his radar.
The proud Michigan alum took to social media with a fiery rant, dissecting the Buckeyes’ performance and prospects through the lens of their rivalry with his beloved Wolverines.
“When you look at Jack Sawyer, and you’re cheering like, ‘That’s an Ohio State legend,’ can you be an Ohio State legend and never have beaten Michigan?” Portnoy said in a video posted on X.
“I don’t think you can. The great Woody Hayes said if you lose to Michigan, you’re season’s a failure. He said that not me.”
Portnoy, an outspoken Michigan fan, questioned the legitimacy of a potential Ohio State championship, given their humiliating loss to Michigan in the regular season finale.
“If Ohio State wins the Natty, does it even mean anything since they got embarrassed by Michigan?” Portnoy added.
Portnoy attributes Ohio State’s success this year to the expansion of the playoff field.
He suggested the current format allowed “middle-of-the-road” teams like Ohio State to sneak in.
“The expanded playoffs led middle-of-the-road teams like Ohio State in. You get in, catch lightning in a bottle and get hot… If you’re Ohio State, you accomplish one out of your three goals [If you beat Notre Dame],” he continued.
“[The goals were] win the Big 10, beat Michigan [and] win a national title. First two, epic failures. National title matters, though.”
Despite his hatred for Ohio State, Portnoy claimed that he doesn’t particularly care who wins the CFP National Championship Game.
His equal distaste for Notre Dame tempers his animosity toward the Buckeyes, and he sees potential benefits for the rivalry if Ohio State takes home the trophy.
“You can’t compare if Ohio State wins this year to [Michigan] last year. I don’t even care if Ohio State wins this year, to be honest… I actually think it’s good for the rivalry, if you can call it that.
“At least we have something to get up for. Oh, there’s the defending paper title national champions… Michigan-Ohio State, the last two national champions, it has a nice ring to it.”
Looking ahead, Portnoy sees an Ohio State championship as adding weight to the rivalry’s next chapter.
If Michigan defeats Ohio State for a fifth consecutive year in 2025, Portnoy envisions a rematch in the CFP that would give extra meaning to the matchup.
“Right now, Ohio State, you pet ’em on the head like, ‘Good job little buddy, you accomplished one out of your three goals,” Portnoy said.
“We’ll see you Thanksgiving weekend, we’ll beat the piss out of you just like we do every year. And this [year], unlike last year, we’ll probably see you in the playoffs and we’ll beat the piss out of you again.
“So I think I like Ohio State winning this thing. [It] makes the rivalry sort of important again. We get to beat the national champs and not just lowly Ohio State.”
The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is set to reignite on Nov. 29, with the winner likely punching their ticket to the Big 10 Championship Game.
Michigan has dominated the rivalry in recent years, winning three of the last four Big 10 titles, while Ohio State hasn’t competed for the crown since 2020.
Ohio State will enter the National Championship Game as heavy favorites over the Fighting Irish. Even the biggest Buckeyes hater in the world has to admit that they’ve been playing lights-out since that Michigan debacle.
Having said that, does Portnoy have a point? … Because of the loss to Michigan, will this season not be “complete” for Ohio State even if they do win the national title???
