Alabama came to Neyland Stadium desperate to save face after its humiliating loss to Georgia. Instead, Josh Heupel’s Tennessee exposed the Crimson Tide all over again, handing them a brutal 26-10 defeat. So much for Alabama bouncing back. And apparently, watching the Tide fall apart wasn’t enough for Tennessee fans. They wanted to make sure Alabama left Knoxville thoroughly humiliated.
As soon as the clock hit zero, thousands of Vols fans stormed the field, turning Neyland Stadium into a sea of orange. To make matters worse for Alabama, the crowd celebrated to the sound of the Tide’s own beloved anthem, “Dixieland Delight.” But while Tennessee fans enjoyed every second of Alabama’s misery, their athletic department was staring at a $500,000 bill.
The SEC has a zero-tolerance policy for fans storming the field, and schools get hit with giant fines whenever it happens. Under the league’s current rules, though, Tennessee will be fined a flat $500,000 for its celebration. The conference rules state that, for a regular-season game, that half-million-dollar check doesn’t go to the league. Instead, it gets paid directly to Bama…