Storming your home field after a major upset win is one of the most memorable possible outcomes in all of college sports. But in the SEC — for which field-storming is already a rarity — we could potentially see schools face harsh penalties if they allow it to happen.
Earlier this week, Sports Illustrated reported that the SEC was considering more severe punishments for schools that allow field-storming, such as the loss of a future home game.
Per SI, league commissioner Greg Sankey said that the league is considering several possible options for dissuading fans from entering the playing field after games. Among these are increased fines, forfeiting games and even potential bowl bans.
“People have said you should flip (the home site). People have said you should forfeit the game. People have said you shouldn’t get to a bowl game,” Sankey said at the College Football Playoff spring meeting in Irving, Texas, per Ross Dellenger.
As things currently stand, schools are fined $50,000 for their first field-storming offense, which doubles for a second offense. For all subsequent offenses, the school is fined $250,000.
“I don’t think just passing a rule can stop it. People have to stop it. Has the fine system changed behavior? Yes,” Sankey said. “Can you stop it? Sure. You can send teams into stands to celebrate with fans. We see that in basketball pretty frequently. You can educate your fans: Stay off the floor, we’re going to come to you and let’s celebrate that way.
“There are positive ways to engage in postgame celebration that don’t involve rushing the field and tearing down goalposts.”
LSU alone was fined twice for field-storming last fall — first after beating Ole Miss on Oct. 22 and again when the Tigers stunned Alabama on Nov. 5. They had to pay $250,000 fines for each occurrence as the school has now been fined a total of four times.
That, alongside Tennessee’s cathartic field-storming after knocking off the Tide, likely expedited the discussions the league is currently having. As far as a decision, Sankey said a vote could happen any time between now and the start of the season.
However, he did reiterate that nothing has yet been developed into a proposal that will be presented to university presidents and athletic directors.
“You have to elevate the responsibility for the safety of the visiting team,” Sankey said. “We talk about the dangers for fans. The dangers of people jumping over walls. Dangers for both teams. Dangers for the officials. That’s the kind of conversation the adults in the room have had. The adults will continue to have the conversation.”
While no decision has yet been made, this is sure to be a hot discussion topic when the league holds its spring meetings in Destin, Florida, at the end of May.
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