Mike Katic, Dave Portnoy reignite fans vs. players fight

The episode dropped Thursday night, and the guy who actually played went straight to the tape to defend his side.

Mike Katic

@KaticMichael

I’m talking about ACTUALLY PLAYING A GAME!!

That's the whole fight in one all-caps sentence. Katic's case is that lining up and playing is a different kind of knowing. Dave's case, going back to last week's show, is that watching a thousand games and betting on them counts for something too. Dave didn't wait long to declare himself the winner.

Dave Portnoy

@stoolpresidente

I want an apology from everyone last week who said ex players like Katic understand football better than me just because they played t.co/U4daFr6hA6

Treat it as the bit it is. Nobody's actually owed an apology, and Dave never says which result settled it. What the clip does show is the fault line the show runs on: the fans pitching a 'let down spot' and the ex-player telling them that's not how it works between the lines. The same fight carried over to the picks, and the biggest pick was the game in Katic's backyard.

No. 4 Ohio State at No. 5 Indiana, noon ET Saturday at Memorial Stadium, was a rematch of the 2025 Big Ten title game, which Indiana won 13-10. It was also the 100th meeting between the 2 schools. DraftKings had the Buckeyes -3.5, and Kayce, Dave and Big Cat all took the Hoosiers and the points.

Barstool Sports

@barstoolsports

"Ryan Day is gonna pee down his leg if it gets tight late." Picking Indiana is a vote of confidence for Curt Cignetti. @highnoonsunsips

Dave kept that energy going all of Friday. He told the internet Cignetti was 'about 100x the game coach that Ryan Day is' in a close fourth quarter and called Buckeye fans 'delusional and insane and sensitive.' It was enough noise that Yahoo Sports wrote it up. The rest of the week's parlay legs went the same underdog direction: Dave on BYU +10.5, Big Cat on Air Force +1.5, Brandon Walker on Michigan State +7.5 and Kayce on Kentucky +7.

Then Saturday morning the ex-player got his turn. Katic, a former Indiana center, showed up on FOX's Big Noon Kickoff from The Upstairs Pub in Bloomington and called it 'the biggest game in Bloomington history.'

Barstool Sports

@barstoolsports

MIKE KATIC IS FIRED THE FUCK UP!!!

Say what you want about who knows more football. Nobody in that bar cared about the letdown-spot debate. Katic got to scream 'best team in America, the best fans in America' at a room full of Hoosiers, and for one morning the player and the fan were the same guy. Kayce, who had already called it one of her favorite episodes on Thursday, summed up the whole week a lot more simply.

Kayce Smith

@KayceSmith

This was one of my favorite CFB Shows we’ve done. What a shit show 😂 t.co/pSsMEhhQo6

Every pick on that desk now depends on Bloomington. If Indiana covers, Dave gets another victory lap and probably another apology demand. If Ohio State handles it, Katic gets the tape and the last word next Thursday. Either way, Week 8 already has its opening segment.