Big 12 fines UCF $100,000 over fans' anti-Mormon chants at BYU upset

The Big 12 Conference has fined the University of Central Florida $100,000 after fans directed discriminatory chants at Brigham Young University and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during UCF's double-overtime upset of No. 2 BYU in Orlando on Saturday, Oct. 24. The league announced the fine Wednesday, Oct. 28, along with a new conference-wide policy that sets automatic penalties for future incidents.

UCF has not said whether it will contest the penalty. "After becoming aware of the conference's decision, we will be reviewing our options," UCF athletics spokesman Adam Widman said in an email Wednesday night, according to ESPN.

What happened at the game

The Big 12's release did not specify what was said. WKMG News 6, which attended the game, reported hearing fans chant "(Expletive) the Mormons." ESPN reported that video shared on social media showed UCF fans chanting the phrase before kickoff, and that university security then removed some fans from the game.

BYU is the flagship school of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, ESPN noted. The church's members have been the target of similar chants at other Big 12 venues.

What the Big 12 said

In its statement, the league credited UCF for how it handled the situation in the moment while still imposing the fine. "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 release said, as published by News 6.

The conference said the money from the UCF fine will be directed toward student education initiatives, according to ESPN. It closed its statement by saying it remains committed to a respectful environment for athletes, coaches and fans and will keep working with member schools to prevent such behavior and ensure meaningful consequences when it happens.

The new conference policy

Alongside the fine, the Big 12 announced an updated policy on discriminatory conduct at athletic events. According to the league release as reported by News 6 and ESPN, it includes:

• An automatic minimum $100,000 fine for a confirmed first incident during a game.
• A formal warning after the first incident, giving the school a chance to address the behavior immediately.
• For a second confirmed incident in the same game, an in-game competitive penalty, such as a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in football or a two-shot technical foul in basketball, and a possible additional $500,000 fine.
• A ban from all athletic events for the rest of the academic year for anyone ejected for discriminatory conduct, plus possible discipline under university fan and student conduct policies.

The in-game penalty is new. Until now, the league's responses to fan chants had been fines and reprimands issued after the fact.

Not the first Big 12 school fined over BYU chants

UCF's fine is double the amount the conference has issued in earlier cases involving BYU. The Big 12 fined Colorado $50,000 and issued a public reprimand over chants during a September 2025 football game against BYU in Boulder, and it fined Oklahoma State $50,000 in February after chants at a men's basketball game against BYU, according to ESPN.

ESPN also noted similar incidents at an Arizona men's basketball game during the 2024-25 season and at a Cincinnati football game in November 2025, neither of which led to a fine. Colorado State, which is not a Big 12 member, apologized in September after its fans targeted BYU and the church with chants.

Those earlier penalties were set case by case. The policy announced Wednesday replaces that approach with a fixed minimum and an escalation path for repeat incidents within a single game.

The upset that drew the crowd

The chants came during a landmark night for UCF. The Knights beat BYU 39-31 in double overtime at the Acrisure Bounce House before a crowd of 45,112, according to ESPN's box score. It was UCF's first win over a top-5 team in school history, according to The Associated Press.

Quarterback Keyone Jenkins threw a touchdown pass to tight end Grayson Brousseau in the second overtime, then hit Tyren Hornes for the two-point conversion. BYU drove to the UCF 4-yard line needing a touchdown and a two-point try to force a third overtime, but Bear Bachmeier's fourth-down pass fell incomplete. Jenkins finished 25 of 41 for 293 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a score, starting in place of the injured Alonza Barnett III.

The finish of regulation was chaotic. UCF was stopped on a fourth-and-goal quarterback sneak at the BYU 1-yard line with under two minutes left, forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with 42 seconds to go. A play first ruled a sack and fumble was overturned on replay to an incomplete pass, and a BYU unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the Knights into field goal range. BYU then blocked Will Stone's 47-yard attempt on third down. Stone recovered, but because his helmet came off on the play, a 10-second runoff ended regulation, the AP reported.

"That's the weirdest end of a game I have ever seen," Frost said afterward. In the first overtime, Bachmeier hit Legend Glasker for a 28-yard touchdown, and Jenkins answered on the next snap with a 25-yard scoring pass to Josh Derry. Hornes finished with six catches for 137 yards, and Duke Watson ran for 94 yards.

After the game, fans stormed the field and tore down a goalpost, the AP reported. BYU coach Kalani Sitake thanked security workers for making sure his team could leave the field without incident.

The win improved UCF to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big 12 under coach Scott Frost, who is in the second season of his return to the program. BYU fell to 6-1 and dropped to No. 8 in the rankings.

What's next

UCF has not said whether it will appeal or accept the fine. On the field, the Knights host Baylor on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. at the Acrisure Bounce House, then travel to Kansas on Nov. 7. BYU hosts Arizona State on Saturday before visiting No. 6 Utah on Nov. 7.