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Michigan Superfan Dave Portnoy Bluntly Calls Out Ryan Day After Texas Loss

Barstool/Fox personality Dave Portnoy had some harsh words for the head coach of his team's rival after a fourth quarter collapse.
Joe Cox|
Ohio State coach Ryan Day took some heat from Dave Portnoy after his loss to Texas in Week 2.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day took some heat from Dave Portnoy after his loss to Texas in Week 2. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Ohio State BuckeyesMichigan Wolverines

The enemy of your enemy is often your friend in college football. Take Barstool/Fax personality Dave Portnoy, a notorious Michigan backer. When the Wolverines' top rival, Ohio State, took a fourth quarter tumble in a 24-23 loss to Texas, Portnoy suddenly had a very pleasant Week 2. He was quick to share his take on Ohio State's stumble.

Portnoy's take on Day and Ohio State

"The fact that you just went though that game, 'Texas this, Texas that.' It's born-on-third-base Ryan Day, doing what Ryan Day does, not being able to put a team away," said Portnoy. "Ryan Day is the luckiest guy in the history of the Earth, if we're being totally honest. He snuck into the Playoffs as what, a three-loss Big Ten team after Michigan smoked them 100 times. Then he skates through the Playoffs, they give this guy an extension. I could coach this Ohio State team to a 100-win season with the talent they have. This guy is one of the worst big game coaches in the history of the world.... To blow a 20-point lead like they did, one of the great chokes of all time."

The reality behind Portnoy's claims

Not shockingly, Portnoy's propensity for hyperbole colored his argument. A 14-2 Ohio State team won the 2024 College Football Playoff title. It was the fourth year in a row that Michigan had bested Ohio State. Day is now 16-10 in his Ohio State career against top ten teams, including the losses to Michigan teams that were ranked in the top six of the AP poll from 2021 to 2023.

Admittedly, the 2024 Ohio State loss to Michigan (as a 19 1/2 point favorite) was shocking. But the Buckeyes then blasted Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame each by 14 or more points to claim their first CFP title since the 2014 crown which came under Urban Meyer.

Ohio State's 2026 Path

The Buckeyes will play at Indiana on October 17th and will host Oregon on November 7th ahead of the annual game with Michigan on November 28th (which is also a home game for the Buckeyes). Day and Ohio State figure to have at least a couple more opportunities to displace Portnoy's notion of them as particularly fraudulent in big game settings.

Michigan's Chances

Of courses, Portnoy's beloved Wolverines needed a controversial help from official to survive their Week 1 game with Western Michigan. Michigan lost nine total games over the last two seasons since their perfect 15-0 2023 CFP title season. Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State are all ahead on the Michigan schedule.

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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