Will Cincinnati be fined for storming field vs Texas Tech? Big 12 policy, explained

The party is on in Cincinnati.

After a Week 7 that was filled with upsets, the first top-10 defeat of Week 8 comes by way of Cincinnati handing No. 5 Texas Tech its first loss in a convincing 37-24 win.

REQUIRED READING: Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech and Cincinnati: Why Week 8 reunion fell apart

Nippert Stadium has been quite friendly to the Bearcats, as they are now 5-0 at home. But none of them were as big as the home team securing its first top 10 win at the stadium top-10 team at home since November 2006.

As a result, the Cincinnati fans celebrated the occasion by storming the field, and while a big moment for the Bearcats, it could cost them.

GAME OVER AND @GoBEARCATS PULL OFF THE UPSET! pic.twitter.com/66n8hQkbXe

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 24, 2026

Speaking after the game, Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said this game had been circled ever since former quarterback Brendan Sorsby left for the Red Raiders, saying he told his team on Oct. 23 Cincinnati would have a field storm.

Scott Satterfield says this game has been circled since the Sorsby situation.
Says he told his players yesterday at practice that they were going to have a field storm today.@WLWTpic.twitter.com/TFtI3V6Hkj

— Jaron May (@jaron_may) October 24, 2026

Will Cincinnati be fined for storming the field?

Cincinnati could be fined, but it’s not a certainty. The Big 12 handles its field storming penalty on a case-by-case basis.

The standard fine for a Big 12 member school whose fans storm the field after a game is $50,000, but the league office will review footage of the incident to see whether the visiting team and the game officials have a safe path off the field. It’s different from the SEC, which has a strict fine system in place for field-storming incidents.

In Cincinnati’s case, it looks like it will have to face a fine.

Fans began to rush onto the field immediately after the final play happened, as Texas Tech players and staff were still trying to make their way back to the locker room as the crowd came on.

Cincinnati will have to hope the Big 12 is lenient.

The Big 12 has declined to penalize schools in the past for fans rushing the field, as recently as last week after BYU beat Notre Dame. In 2025, it didn’t penalize Colorado after its fans ran onto the field after a home win against what was then a nationally ranked Iowa State team. The conference determined that the Buffs “executed field storming management procedures" and rescinded the fine.

If the Big 12 concludes that Cincinnati didn’t adhere to proper field-storming protocols, there’s a chance the university itself won’t even have to pay the fine.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Cincinnati be fined for storming field vs Texas Tech? Big 12 policy, explained