Home field advantage has been just that, an advantage, for teams in just about any sport, but when looking over how college football teams perform at home vs. on the road, that edge may be the most important in any sport in the world.
College football home crowds are notoriously ferocious about supporting their schools, and that edge has helped a team pull ahead in close games compared to playing on the road.
On average over the last decade, home teams tend to win just under 64 percent of their games, but that number is not created equally among all schools.
What college football teams have played the best at home over the last three years? As we await his famed preseason magazine, Phil Steele has compiled the numbers for all 134 FBS teams.
The worst over that stretch? That dishonor belongs to Nevada, which supplanted Stanford as America’s worst home team, going just 4-15 with a 21.1 win percentage. Here are the best.
10. UTSA
Record: 17-2 (89.5%)
While the Roadrunners endured a disappointing 7-6 record, a decline from its 9-4 effort the year before, they were still perfect in the Alamodome last fall, scoring at least 40 points in all but two of those games.
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9. LSU
Record: 19-2 (90.5%)
Brian Kelly’s Bayou Bengals came back against Ole Miss at home last fall, but pulled out a 3-point victory in overtime, although LSU’s most important matchup, a home date against Alabama that at the time was thought to be an effective CFP elimination game, was an ugly 42-13 loss.
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T-7. Michigan
Record: 21-2 (91.3%)
Michigan had a clean sheet at the Big House in the three seasons before last fall, culminating in a national title in 2023, but Sherrone Moore’s debut as head coach saw costly defeats at home against Texas and Oregon, being outscored by a combined 69-29 in those matchups.
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T-7. Ohio State
Record: 21-2 (91.3%)
Michigan handed the Buckeyes a stunning defeat in the Horseshoe to cap off the 2024 regular season, despite eventual national champion OSU being 21-point favorites. Ryan Day’s squad lost to the Wolverines by 22 to cap off the ‘22 campaign and lost to Oregon by 7 in 2021.
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6. Ohio
Record: 17-1 (94.4%)
Installing a new turf at Peden Stadium has apparently worked wonders for the Bobcats, whose only loss on the surface since 2022 came against Miami of Ohio.
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5. Oregon
Record: 19-1 (95%)
All of three points keep Oregon from being perfect at Autzen Stadium over the last three seasons, after the Ducks dropped a 37-34 decision to rival Washington three years ago. But those other home engagements are all wins, including by a single point against Ohio State in 2024.
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T-3. Tennessee
Record: 20-1 (95.2%)
Dylan Sampson broke a plethora of records while leading the Vols’ offense to a perfect record on Rocky Top this past season, including a signature victory against Alabama, with the only black mark in the last 3 years being a 38-10 loss to No. 1 Georgia at home late in the 2023 season.
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T-3. Alabama
Record: 20-1 (95.2%)
Kalen DeBoer’s 9-4 debut as Tide head coach included some puzzling losses, including to unranked Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, but Bama was perfect at home in that time, only losing to then-future SEC rival Texas by 10 in Week 2 of the ‘23 season, Nick Saban’s last.
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T-1. Georgia
Record: 19-0 (100%)
Key to the Bulldogs’ recent run of two national championships has been their play against opponents when playing between the hedges. The last time Georgia lost at home? That was Oct. 12, 2019, when Rodrigo Blankenship’s field goal went wide left in double overtime against South Carolina.
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T-1. Washington
Record: 20-1 (100%)
Although the Huskies did lose as the designated home team against rival Washington State in the Apple Cup, that game was played at the Seahawks’ Lumen Field. At home in Husky Stadium, they haven’t lost since the season finale in 2021.
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