Big 12 Weighs Punishment Decision After Major College Football Program’s Fans Cause Chaos

The conference's standard penalty is $50,000, but it waived the same fine last season, and this celebration ended with a goalpost in a campus pond

Fans storm the field following the college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oregon Ducks at Boone Pickens Stadium on Sept. 2, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Big 12 now has to decide whether Oklahoma State pays for the wildest celebration of the 2026 college football season, one that ended with a goalpost floating in a campus pond.

The standard Big 12 fine for field storming is $50,000, and Cowboys fans went well past storming after the 39-31 upset of No. 6 Oregon, tearing down the west goalpost and hauling it out of the stadium.

Oklahoma State goalpost hits Theta Pond

We do not condone taking down the goalposts but here is the full journey from BPS to Theta Pond for your enjoyment pic.twitter.com/TXtMBgZS9t

— Oklahoma State Athletics (@OSUAthletics) September 13, 2026

Fans poured onto the field at Boone Pickens Stadium as soon as the clock hit zero, and the west goalpost came down with them. The crowd hauled it off the field and walked it to Theta Pond, a small body of water about 15 minutes away on campus. Students then swam out and used boats to cut the posts into smaller pieces.

Oklahoma State athletics posted the full trip on social media with the caption "We do not condone taking down the goalposts."

University president Jim Hess joked after the game that he'd already bought a replacement goalpost before kickoff. So the school has until Sept. 19, when it hosts Murray State, to get new posts in the ground.

Will Oklahoma State pay a fine?

Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker (17) looks to throw a pass in the first half of the college football game against the Oregon Ducks at Boone Pickens Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Big 12 reviews each field storm to see whether the visiting team and the game officials had a safe path off the field, so the money isn't automatic. Arizona State paid the full $50,000 last October after its fans rushed the field following a win over Texas Tech. The Big 12 announced the Arizona State fine on the Tuesday after that game.

Colorado expected the same bill three weeks earlier and never got one, because the conference decided the school had followed its field storm management procedures.

"The conference is not fining us for Saturday's field storm," Colorado athletics spokesman Steve Hurlbert said at the time.

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark has tied the rule to player safety, saying, "The Big 12 prioritizes the safety of all players, coaches and officials."

But taking the goalpost adds property damage to a review that normally centers on whether people got out safely. The conference hasn't announced a decision on Stillwater yet.

Oklahoma State's recent Big 12 fine

Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Eric Morris prepares to enter the field with his team before the game against the Oregon Ducks at Boone Pickens Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This wouldn't be the program's first league fine this calendar year. In February, the Big 12 fined Oklahoma State $50,000 after investigating chants that referenced the Mormon religion during a men's basketball game against BYU, and the school didn't appeal.

"Oklahoma State respects the Big 12's decision and will not appeal the fine," the university said.

Other leagues charge much more for the same behavior. The SEC moved to a flat $500,000 penalty per incident in 2025, and the ACC uses an escalating structure that starts at $50,000 and reaches $200,000 for repeat offenses.

Oklahoma State sits at 1-1 under Eric Morris after ending a 21-game losing streak against FBS opponents.