Big 12 Hits UCF With $100,000 Fine Over Fan Chants Targeting BYU and the Mormon Church

The Big 12 Conference has fined UCF $100,000 after fans directed derogatory chants at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during a football game against BYU last Saturday.

The league announced the penalty on Wednesday. It said the money will go toward "student education initiatives." BYU is the flagship school of the church, which is widely known as the Mormon church.

Video posted on social media showed UCF fans chanting "(expletive) the Mormons!" before kickoff. University security removed some fans from the stadium. UCF went on to win the game in overtime.

Alongside the fine, the Big 12 said it has set up a conference-wide policy with "escalating consequences for discriminatory conduct," which it said "has no place in the Big 12."

Under the policy, a first confirmed incident brings an automatic minimum fine of $100,000 and a warning. If a second incident happens at the same game, the offending school faces an in-game penalty, such as an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in football or a two-shot technical foul in basketball. The league said a fine of $500,000 may also be imposed.

Fans who are ejected for this kind of behavior will be barred from athletic events for the rest of the school year. They may also face discipline under their university's fan or student conduct policies, according to the conference.

UCF said it is weighing its response. "After becoming aware of the conference's decision, we will be reviewing our options," athletics spokesman Adam Widman said in an email Wednesday night.

The penalty is the latest in a series involving Big 12 schools and the treatment of BYU. Colorado State apologized in September after its fans aimed derogatory chants at BYU and the church. In February, the Big 12 fined Oklahoma State $50,000 over inappropriate chants at a men's basketball game against BYU. A year earlier, Colorado received a $50,000 fine for similar chants at a football game.

Comparable incidents took place at an Arizona men's basketball game during the 2024-25 season and at a Cincinnati football game in November 2025. Neither school was fined.

On the field, No. 8 BYU (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) hosts Arizona State (4-3, 2-2) this Saturday. The Cougars then travel to face No. 6 Utah (7-0, 4-0) in the Holy War rivalry game on Nov. 7.