The start of the school year means it’s also field-storming season.
This year, the ACC joined the SEC in fining schools for rushing the field or court to celebrate a big win.
Vanderbilt accumulated $850,000 in fines last year after its fans stormed the field after the Commodores’ win over Alabama in football and then twice after men’s basketball games.
Here are the schools fined so far in the fall of 2025:
Week 1
- Florida State: $50,000
The ACC fined the Seminoles on Sept. 2 for a “violation of the league’s event security policy” after fans stormed the field following the team’s 31–17 upset victory over then-No. 8 Alabama.
The Seminoles are the first school to be penalized under the conference’s new field and court storming policy, announced in July. (The policy covers football and men’s and women’s basketball.)
A second offense would cost FSU $100,000, and a third would cost $200,000. The offenses are counted within a rolling two-year window, and the money goes to a postgraduate scholarship fund for athletes pursuing a master’s degree.
The Seminoles went 2–10 in 2024 and went into the game as 13.5-point underdogs against Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama team.
Week 2
- Mississippi State: $500,000
In May, the SEC said it would fine schools $500,000 per incident, a change from its tiered system. On Tuesday, the Bulldogs became the first school in the conference to have lighter pockets as a result.
In the SEC, the money for the fine goes to the losing school. The Bulldogs were fined after a 24–20 win over then-No. 12 Arizona State, which marked the program’s first win over a top-15 nonconference opponent since 1991. The Sun Devils enter this week unranked.
The SEC has the right to waive the fine if the school gives the opposing team time to clear the field, but Bulldogs fans were already on it before the Sun Devils players and staff could exit.
Week 3
- Georgia Tech: $50,000
The Yellow Jackets became the second school to pay for the ACC’s new security policy after a 24–21 upset of then-No. 12 Clemson in Atlanta. The Tigers entered the game as 3.5-point favorites, but trailed 13–7 at halftime.
Clemson tied the game at 21 with 3:26 left in the fourth quarter, but lost as time expired on a 55-yard field goal by Georgia Tech kicker Aidan Birr. The Yellow Jackets were fined $50,000 by the conference on Sunday for a first-time offense.
The win broke a nine-game losing streak to the Tigers and saw fans storm the field, take down the field goal posts, and dump them in the university president’s pool.
Week 5
- Virginia: $50,000
The Cavaliers became the latest school to get hit with the ACC’s new event security policy after upsetting No. 8 Florida State 46–38 in double overtime on Friday night. It marked the program’s first home win against a top-10 team since 2005, which also came against the Seminoles.
On Saturday night, the ACC fined Virginia $50,000 for a first-time offense. The field storm drew a lot of commentary for being a safety hazard because it happened immediately after the final play while FSU players were still directly in the path of fans.
Illinois fans also stormed the field in light of the No. 21–ranked team’s 34–32 win over No. 23 Southern California. The game ended on a walk-off 41-yard field goal by the Illini. However, the Big Ten does not have a field storming policy, which is why the school is unlikely to be fined.
