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Home Advantage in American College Football Games: A Multilevel Modelling Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Wang Winnie

    (University of Bristol)

  • Johnston Ron

    (University of Bristol)

  • Jones Kelvyn

    (University of Bristol)

Abstract

This study examines home advantage in American college football games from a multilevel perspective. It quantifies the extent and significance of that home advantage and examines how it varies between BCS and non-BCS teams as well as analyzing the relationship between home advantage and team parity. Our results indicate that home advantage exists for most teams and conferences. It equates to a 6 point advantage for home teams and a 3-point disadvantage for away teams when controlling for team strength and other predictors. It concludes that after controlling for team ability, non-BCS teams possess a stronger home advantage than BCS teams. Such a result is likely related to the greater parity among BCS teams which leads to a "choking under pressure" effect for them in closely played games.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang Winnie & Johnston Ron & Jones Kelvyn, 2011. "Home Advantage in American College Football Games: A Multilevel Modelling Approach," Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, De Gruyter, vol. 7(3), pages 1-20, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:jqsprt:v:7:y:2011:i:3:n:23
    DOI: 10.2202/1559-0410.1328
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sutter, Matthias & Kocher, Martin G., 2004. "Favoritism of agents - The case of referees' home bias," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 461-469, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Matthew J. McMahon & Sarah Marx Quintanar, 2024. "Separately measuring home‐field advantage for offenses and defenses: A panel‐data study of constituent channels within collegiate American football," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 90(4), pages 1060-1098, April.
    2. Karl Andrew T., 2012. "The Sensitivity of College Football Rankings to Several Modeling Choices," Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, De Gruyter, vol. 8(3), pages 1-44, October.

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