Big 12 Rule Change Reveals In-Game Penalties for Fan Conduct amid 'Discriminatory Chants' Toward BYU

The Big 12 introduced new rules regarding fan behavior following UCF's 39-31 upset victory over BYU on Saturday.

"The Big 12 Conference has completed its review of the discriminatory chants directed at BYU during Saturday's football game at UCF," the conference said in a statement released Wednesday, via ESPN's Pete Thamel. "While the Conference recognizes the pregame protocols followed by UCF and immediate actions taken during the game, including removal of some individuals responsible for the conduct, discriminatory behavior has no place in the Big 12. The Conference has issued UCF a $100,000 fine, which will be directed toward student education initiatives."

As part of the new rules, a confirmed first incident of discriminatory conduct during a game will result in an automatic minimum $100,000 fine as well as a formal warning.

For a second confirmed incident during the same contest, an in-game competitive penalty such as a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in football or a technical foul in basketball will be assessed. An additional $500,000 fine may also be included.

Meanwhile, fans ejected from games for discriminatory conduct will be banned from attending all athletic events for the remainder of the academic year.

As UCF picked up a surprising victory over a BYU squad that sat at No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll prior to the contest, some fans were removed from the game by security for chants directed at the Cougars (h/t David Ubben of The Athletic).

Colorado State similarly issued an apology for chants towards BYU during a 41-23 loss to the Cougars on Sept. 19.

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake addressed the situation after the game.

"Everyone's human and I'm not going to dwell on that. I know amazing people that are Colorado State fans and alumni and I'm just going to focus on the beautiful people that are positives," Sitake said at the time, per USA Today's Kevin Lytle. "You can't judge the entire fan base on a few, so that's what we're going to focus on. The environment here was awesome, the fans were excited about their team."

Now, impermissible fan conduct during Big 12 games could lead to penalties that affect their team's chances of winning.