"I've Been Hated": Banned FOX Host Pushes Back Against Pat McAfee After Utah's Apology

Dave Portnoy has built a career on being unwelcome. He has spent years taunting Ohio State, feuding with athletic departments, and treating hostile crowds as part of the show. Earlier this month, that reputation cost him a platform when FOX removed him from Big Noon Kickoff after a dispute he blamed on the Buckeyes.

That is why his take on Pat McAfee’s Utah blowup carries weight. McAfee left Salt Lake City angry after the university’s Instagram account posted a video of students mocking him, and Portnoy, who knows hostile crowds better than most, saw it differently.

“I’ve been hated at like a lot of the campuses,” Portnoy said on October 27. “I don’t mind it. It’s like heel WWE. I saw the video. It didn’t seem like that was really what got him mad. But Utah’s awesome. Utah has an awesome environment, great fans. So yeah, that was a little surprising.”

Ahead of Saturday’s matchup between No. 10 Utah and No. 14 Houston, ESPN brought College GameDay to Rice-Eccles Stadium. But a video posted by Utah’s official Instagram account caused problems before the broadcast even began.

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In the clip, students were asked to do their best McAfee impressions. One called his on-air personality corny, while another took issue with his habit of removing his shirt on television, describing it as creepy.

McAfee said he would have accepted those remarks from students posting on their own accounts. His complaint was that the university itself had published the video just as he was preparing to appear before thousands of fans.

He also objected to a moment during his kicking contest. The Utah student selected to attempt a $1 million field goal questioned why a contestant at BYU had been offered $3 million the previous week.

McAfee’s frustration became apparent during Saturday’s broadcast. He picked Houston to beat Utah and ended his appearance by suggesting he hoped never to return. Utah won 21-13.

On Monday, McAfee explained that the video had made him uncomfortable before the show even started. He also referred to the September 2025 killing of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University while discussing his concerns about safety at college gatherings.

“I’ve never been more uncomfortable, honestly, in my life, walking in front of a group of people after watching their university put out a post, basically dogging me just moments before,” Pat McAfee said

Utah later apologized for the video, explaining that what was meant to be a bit of fun had come across poorly. The university took responsibility for posting it and said it never intended to make McAfee feel unsafe or unwelcome on campus.

ESPN stood behind McAfee as well, saying the safety of its broadcasters, production staff and fans remained a priority. That leaves Portnoy viewing a controversy that, from his perspective, began as fairly ordinary college football teasing.

” I think ESPN is going back to the Holy War,” Portnoy said about the BYU vs Utah game on November 7. So McAfee, I think, is going back to Utah. I’m sure everyone’s gonna like the administration. ESPN is gonna look at his taint and be like. Sorry, Pat.”

Portnoy visited Salt Lake City in September 2025 when FOX brought Big Noon Kickoff to Utah’s game against Texas Tech. It was his first trip to the city, and he quickly embraced the atmosphere outside Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The Michigan alum even joined Utah fans in mocking BYU, leading anti-Cougars chants during Barstool’s broadcast. He later described the Utah-BYU rivalry as potentially one of the most heated in college football.

He also praised the crowd’s energy and wondered whether BYU could match it. That visit explains why McAfee’s comments surprised him.

There is another interesting wrinkle. McAfee enjoyed his October 17 visit to BYU, where he leaned into the school’s traditions and interacted enthusiastically with the crowd. A week later, his experience at rival Utah produced the opposite reaction.

Interestingly, Portnoy has his own history of campus disputes, and that has made him a little more tolerant of heckling on campuses. A die-hard Michigan fan who even bankrolled Bryce Underwood’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal, he has always shown strong emotions toward Ohio State.

In August 2025, Portnoy claimed Ohio State had barred him from entering Ohio Stadium during FOX’s coverage of the Buckeyes’ game against Texas.

Ohio State disputed that account. Athletic director Ross Bjork said the network’s stadium plans included its main television desk crew and that Portnoy was not part of that group. The disagreement continued into 2026.

In September 2026, Portnoy said Ohio State had again refused to allow the Barstool College Football Show to broadcast from its stadium during FOX’s visit for the Illinois game. Then came the bigger setback.

On October 3, The Associated Press reported that Portnoy and Barstool would no longer appear on Big Noon Kickoff. Portnoy blamed Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day, accusing them of repeatedly pressuring FOX over his criticism of the program. Portnoy continues to retain his FS1 weekday show.

Neither FOX nor Ohio State publicly confirmed his explanation for the decision.

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