Oklahoma has the No. 1 home-field advantage in college football, according to new research by PredictionMachine.com.
But, Sooner fans, before you get too excited, know that topping this list isn't necessarily meant to be a badge of honor.
Out of 120 FBS teams, defending national champion Alabama ranks 106th and LSU is 108th.
The rankings indicate the Sooners play much, much better at home than they do on the road, which is why teams like Alabama and LSU come in so low.
“Teams that are consistent national championship contenders should not be as susceptible to playing much better at home than on the road,” said Paul Bessire, the website's general manager. “If fans can accept the fact that Oklahoma is in the next tier of teams that is not consistently elite, but really good and reliant on a strong home-field advantage to maximize its talent, then it is should be a compliment to see the ranking that high.”
The analysis reviewed every FBS team's performance at home and on the road from 2000-2011, relative to what would be expected based on 50,000 simulations of each game on a neutral field.
Bessire said the reason OU tops the home-field advantage list is because there are several instances between 2000 and 2011 where the Sooners dominated games in Norman that should have been closer, and either lost or barely squeaked by on the road in games when they were, on paper, far superior.
Read more:
OU football: Sooners best team at home, but is that a good thing? | NewsOK.com
