Big 12 hands down big fine and public reprimand of Arizona State over field storming debacle

Arizona State may have notched a pivotal win over BYU this past Saturday, but one thing everyone keeps talking about is the way it ended, with fans prematurely storming the field as officials ruled there was still one second left in the game.

The Big 12 got in on the action Tuesday morning, assessing Arizona State a $25,000 fine and issuing a statement reprimanding the program for the chaos.

The fine is not entirely surprising, as it's become customary for teams to be fined over fans storming the field. It poses a genuine safety concern, both for the fans (many of them students) who often are jumping over barriers to get down to the field and for the players and coaches of both teams, who are suddenly put in close proximity to a mob of people.

Still, though, storming the field after a major win has been a college football tradition for decades. Arizona State did so earlier this year when they upset then 16th ranked Utah, and it resulted in a now-iconic moment with head coach and Arizona State alum Kenny Dillinham crowdsurfing:

In the grand scheme of things, this public reprimand won't mean much for the Sun Devils. They are one win away from appearing in the Big 12 title game, with a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line. The fans are rightfully excited about the likelihood of their team hitting double digit wins for the first time since 2014, especially after winning just 14 games in the last three years combined.