The biggest game in college football this past weekend was between the LSU football team and Alabama. Both the Tigers and Crimson Tide came into the game with two losses, so it had the feel of a playoff elimination game. Things did not go LSU's way, and at one point, fans were throwing debris onto the field. The Tigers are now paying the price for those actions as the SEC has fined the school $250,000.
“The Southeastern Conference announced today that Louisiana State University will be fined $250,000 related to spectator sportsmanship,” A statement from the SEC read. “LSU will incur a fine of $250,000 for interruption of its contest against Alabama when fans threw debris onto the field.”
LSU needed to get a win against Alabama on Saturday, but they ended up getting blown out in their own stadium. The Crimson Tide came into Baton Rouge and cruised to a 42-13 win. The Tigers had no answer for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe as he rushed for four touchdowns, and LSU football fans weren't happy with what they saw.
There was a penalty in the third quarter of the game that changed a third down stop into an Alabama first down, and the crowd didn't like it. That is when the debris was thrown, and LSU and their fans will pay more than just the $250,000 fine.
“Due to LSU fans throwing debris onto the field during its game versus Alabama, under the sportsmanship, game management and alcohol availability policies established by the Southeastern Conference, Louisiana State University will:
- Be assessed financial penalty of $250,000;
- Be required to use all available resources, including security, stadium and television video, to identify individuals who threw objects onto the playing field or at the opposing team. All individuals identified as having been involved in disrupting the game shall be prohibited from attending LSU Athletics events for the remainder of the 2024-25 academic and athletic year;
- Review and update its Athletics Department game management procedures and alcohol availability policies to prevent a recurrence of Saturday night’s disruption, which shall include an evaluation of agreed upon SEC Sportsmanship, Game Management and Alcohol policies to verify full compliance with existing standards, and
- Following completion of this review, the University shall provide a report to the Conference Office to summarize its efforts to identify and penalize offenders and its plan to enact policies to prevent future similar incidents while ensuring compliance with Conference standards.”
With the loss, the LSU football team fell to 6-3 overall on the season and 3-2 in SEC conference play. Their only hope for making the College Football Playoff would be somehow winning the SEC, but there are currently seven teams ahead of them in the standings. There are no teams with zero conference losses, however, and LSU has only two. Still, they need a miracle.
The Tigers will look to bounce back from this ugly loss this upcoming weekend as they will be hitting the road to take on Florida. The two teams will kick off at 3:30 ET on Saturday from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, and the game will be airing on ABC. LSU is currently favored by four points.