Author: Trey Johnson - Saturday, August 26, 2006

Last week we looked at NFL home field advantage and we determined it was a 50-50 proposition. This week we will take a look at college football home field advantage. With the crowd, the students, the pep rallies, the hype, there has to be a huge advantage to playing on your own turf, right? Let's find out.

Since 1980 the home team is 9959-6232-188 SU for a 62 percent mark. Not to shabby! I would have expected it to be a little higher but at least it shows teams do win at home more often than not. But, once again we have to ask the question; do those SU home wins translate into ATS wins?

They do not! Since 1980 home teams are 6252-6217-202 ATS for 49 percent. Amazing! Who would have thought that in such a tradition rich sport playing the home team would be a losing proposition?

Ok, let's break it down a little. Maybe the home team doesn't cover but what about home favorites? I mean really, you're a home favorite for a reason. Believe it or not, they are worse! Home favorites covered the number a whopping 48 percent over the last 25 years.

So who is covering at home, double digit favorites? Nope! They are a comparable 49 percent against the spread over the last 25 seasons. So what have we learned? That just like in the NFL, playing on a home favorite is not a sure thing.

How about the big bad home dogs? Imagine having to live with the embarrassment of not being favored in their home. Again, no! Home dogs are 49 percent against the spread and double digit home dogs top out at a whopping 50 percent since 1980.

Are you seeing a trend here? I guess it doesn't matter if it is the NFL or college football, don't play a team just because they are "tough" at home. Those straight up wins do not translate into ATS wins.

Are there any scenarios in college football where the home team is a good bet? Not really! Take a look. Home teams with rest are 51 percent ATS. Home teams with revenge are 50 percent ATS. Home teams off a SU/ATS win are 50 percent ATS while home teams of a SU/ATS loss are 48 percent ATS. Again, as with the NFL, every situation I looked at came up the same. Home field advantage means absolutely nothing against the point spread.

The bottom line! Playing CFB home teams is a 50 percent proposition. So much for home field advantage on the college level!

Related Articles:
- NFL Handicapping Trends - Stats Versus Wins
- College Football Top 10 Teams Reviewed
- New NFL Head Coaches Report Card After Week 1
- NFL Handicapping - Betting On The Favorite
- Handicapping The NFL - Home Field Advantage
- Baseball Handicapping - Review Of The NL Central
- MLB Handicapping - Analyzing The NL East
- Baseball Handicapping - AL West Preview

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