well_endowed_ag said:
StinkyPinky said:
LB12Diamond said:
Thinking the heat and more specifically the humidity is not a benefit is a mistake. What's next, are you going to also state when Miami has to go play up in Buffalo in December, it does not help Buffalo?
Having grown up in South Texas and now living in the midwest, we absolutely have an edge. It matters.
Can you point to any games in recent history where you think practicing in the heat meaningfully helped us win at Kyle Field against a team that doesn't practice in the heat?
Here are the games over the past 10 years (2014-2023) that featured a northern P5 (or ND) team traveling to a coastal SEC team in August/September (coastal means the state they're in has a southern coast).
Alabama2018 Louisville - 55-14 win. Louisville is technically in Kentucky but it's almost Indiana. This Louisville team went 2-10 and was awful so not much to tell from this game.
2015 Wisconsin - 35-17 win. Based on Sagarin Bama should've been an 18 point favorite so right in line.
Overall a push for Bama but they've been great for over a decade.
Auburn2015 Louisville - 31-24 win. Based on Sagarin a 4 point Auburn spread so slightly better performance.
2018 Washington - 21-16 win. This game should've been a toss up so 5 point swing toward Auburn.
2019 Oregon - 27-21. Oregon should've been a two point favorite so 8 point swing toward Auburn.
2022 Penn St - 41-12 loss. This was an awful 5-7 Auburn team. Penn State should've been a 16 point favorite but this was a stomping.
Games mostly favored Auburn.
Ole Miss2021 Louisville - 43-24 win. 13 point favorite so Ole Miss outperformed.
Miss St2015 Northwestern - 62-13 win. 21 point favorite toward Miss St so they overperformed.
Georgia2019 Notre Dame - 23-17 win. Sagarin pegs Georgia as a 7 point favorite so in line.
2022 Oregon - 49-3 win. Georgia should've won by 17 so this is a major advantage toward Georgia.
Favorite toward Georgia but that 2022 team was a monster.
Florida2017 Michigan - 33-17 Loss. Based on Sagarin this is a 17 point Wolverine advantage so right in line.
Played even.
Texas A&MNo games to draw from.
LSU2016 Wisconsin - 16-14 Loss. LSU should've been a 4 point favorite so swing away from Tigers.
2017 Syracuse - 35-26 win. 18 point Sagarin lean toward LSU so closer by 9 points.
Games mostly did not favor the Tigers.
ConclusionOn the whole there is a shift toward the southern team beyond just home field advantage but it's not worth more than a few points.