- After Michigan upset Ohio State in Columbus, a flag-planting incident led to a massive brawl that involved the police and pepper spray.
- The Big Ten fined both universities $100,000 each for their parts in the brawl.
- There were also fines in the ACC for the North Carolina-NC State game, and the Virginia-Virginia Tech game.
Rivalry week in college football is always an emotional week. It’s usually the final week of the regular season, so the stakes are high, with players and fans waiting all season for this game.
Things took an ugly turn this past weekend, as a brawl in Columbus following the Michigan-Ohio State game was one of many, and at least six schools were fined.
Michigan Tries to Plant Flag at Ohio State, Chaos Ensues
It all kicked off at Ohio Stadium, also known as the “Horseshoe”, in Columbus. Michigan had just completed a 13-10 win over their bitter rivals, having come into the game as 21-point underdogs at college football betting sites. It was Michigan’s fourth straight win in the rivalry known as “The Game”, and one of their players tried to plant a Michigan flag at midfield.
Helmets were ripped off, and there were many punches thrown. Police even got involved, using their pepper spray in the melee.
When it was all said and done, the Big Ten fined Michigan and Ohio State to the tune of $100,000 each for their roles in the brawl. There doesn’t seem to be any suspensions coming, but going forward, you can expect both universities, along with the Big Ten, to keep a close eye on these activities.
ACC Schools Also Get into Postgame Fights
But the Big Ten wasn’t the only conference getting feisty during rivalry week. The ACC fined North Carolina and North Carolina State an undisclosed amount for their postgame fight following the Wolfpack’s 35-30 win in Chapel Hill. Again, it was started by an attempt at flag-planting. One North Carolina player threw the NC State flag like a javelin onto the sideline.
Virginia and Virginia Tech didn’t even wait for the game to start before they started to fight, as a pregame fracas was captured on video.
Both teams were also fined for their shenanigans, and as was with North Carolina and North Carolina State, they were publicly scolded by the ACC.
Will These Brawls Continue to Happen?
This seemed like a particularly frisky rivalry week, and a major factor in these brawls was that the away team won in their rival’s stadium. Had Ohio State and North Carolina won, there wouldn’t have been an attempted flag planting. Texas won at Texas A&M, and their team wanted to plant a flag, but Longhorns’ coach Steve Sarkisian promptly put a stop to the proceedings.
However, this won’t be the last time something like this happens, although we might not get multiple incidents in the same weekend. You can expect the universities to beef up security at rivalry week from now on, although pepper spray may have been a bit overboard. Emotions run high in these games, and many of these coaches can take a page of out of Sarkisian’s book to control their teams.
