SEC football's best home-field advantage? This list might surprise you | Toppmeyer
The smartest thing South Carolina football ever did was hire Steve Spurrier. Its second-smartest move: Blast “Sandstorm” on the speakers at home games since the late 2000s.
When you think about SEC home-field advantage, maybe the Pride of the Southland playing “Rocky Top” incessantly at Neyland Stadium comes to mind. Or, maybe you think of well-lubricated LSU fans creating a din in Death Valley or Texas A&M’s 12th Man.
Those venues overshadow what’s been the SEC’s most significant home-field advantage for more than a decade: Williams-Brice Stadium.
No team benefits from playing SEC games at home more than South Carolina.
The SEC grew to 14 teams in 2012. Since then, South Carolina is 25-19 in conference home games. Among SEC teams, USC features the largest gap between its home (.568) and road (.326) conference winning percentages. Its home win rate in conference games the past 11 seasons trails only Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Florida and Auburn.
In a microcosm of the Gamecocks' home/road split, they spoiled Tennessee’s playoff hopes by upsetting the Vols last November at Williams-Brice, after losing on the road to lackluster Arkansas and Florida.
Here are some other observations about home/road SEC splits since the conference expanded to 14 teams:
Kyle Field towers in size, but the Home of the 12th Man doesn’t create an advantage to equal its branding. When you include the Aggies’ neutral-site results against Arkansas, Texas A&M is the SEC’s only team that has a better record (27-22) in non-home conference games the past 11 seasons than it does in SEC home games (21-19).
Tennessee’s home-field advantage doesn’t match Neyland Stadium’s venerable reputation. Tennessee is 20-25 in SEC home games the past 11 years – a mark equal to Kentucky’s. The tide turned last season, when the Vols went undefeated at home, including their first win against Alabama since 2006.
Arkansas’ conference record is appalling – home or away – since Bobby Petrino’s 2011 exit. Only Vanderbilt has a worse home win rate in SEC games than Arkansas in the past 11 years. Including neutral-site games, Arkansas’ SEC win percentage away from home (.204) is the conference’s worst since 2012.
More cowbell! Mississippi State plays in the SEC West’s smallest venue, but the Bulldogs receive a significant home boost.
Here’s a ranking for SEC teams’ home-field advantage since 2012. This ranking reflects how much teams gain an advantage at home, compared to playing away from home. Top-notch teams like Alabama and Georgia are tough to beat regardless of venue, meaning they don’t gain as much of a home-field advantage as others.
Winning percentages listed are since the SEC’s 2012 expansion to 14 teams.
1. South Carolina
SEC home winning percentage: .568
SEC road winning percentage: .326
Difference: .242
The Gamecocks become one tough rooster when Darude's “Sandstorm” plays while fans wave white towels.
2. Florida
SEC home winning percentage: .700
SEC road/neutral winning percentage: .520
Difference: .180
The Swamp is tough on opponents, and it features one of the SEC’s best traditions, when Florida fans sing Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” before the start of the fourth quarter.
T-3. Auburn
SEC home winning percentage: .578
SEC road winning percentage: .400
Difference: .178
Some say Jordan-Hare Stadium possesses a strange magic. I say Auburn fans create a special environment.
Tied-3. Kentucky
SEC home winning percentage: .444
SEC road winning percentage: .267
Difference: .178
This one may come as a surprise, but Kentucky has become a tricky opponent at home while remaining roadkill away from Kroger Field.
Tied-3. LSU
SEC home winning percentage: .733
SEC road winning percentage: .556
Difference: .178
Former Arkansas running back Darren McFadden once said this about Death Valley: "The fans are relentless. They don’t stop at all. They keep going.”
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Tied-3rd. Mississippi State
SEC home winning percentage: .556
SEC road winning percentage: .378
Difference: .178
Of course a stadium where fans are allowed to clang cowbells enjoys a notable home-field advantage.
7. Missouri
SEC home winning percentage: .522
SEC road winning percentage: .386
Difference: .135
In 11 SEC seasons, the Tigers have finished below .500 in SEC home games just two times.
8. Georgia
SEC home winning percentage: .868
SEC road/neutral winning percentage: .745
Difference: .123
The Bulldogs have lost just one SEC home game in the past six seasons. They’re also tough on the road, though, reining in their spot on this list.
9. Arkansas
SEC home winning percentage: .317
SEC road/neutral winning percentage: .204
Difference: .113
Who knew a coach wrecking his motorcycle could do so much damage to a football program.
10. Tennessee
SEC home winning percentage: .444
SEC road winning percentage: .333
Difference: .111
How did a fan base as passionate as Tennessee’s not create a more significant home-field advantage? The Vols employed coaches like Derek Dooley and Jeremy Pruitt.
11. Ole Miss
SEC home winning percentage: .489
SEC road winning percentage: .386
Difference: .103
The Grove supplies a neat pregame scene, but coach Lane Kiffin once compared Ole Miss’ in-game environment to that of a high school venue.
12. Alabama
SEC home winning percentage: .933
SEC road winning percentage: .844
Difference: .089
Alabama's consistent dominance regardless of venue affects its position on this list. But, it’s worth noting Alabama has lost just seven SEC home games throughout coach Nick Saban’s tenure.
13. Vanderbilt
SEC home winning percentage: .267
SEC road winning percentage: .205
Difference: .062
Vanderbilt fans’ idea of storming the field is a casual stroll down the stairs.
14. Texas A&M
SEC home winning percentage: .525
SEC road/neutral winning percentage: .551
Difference: Minus-.026
Kyle Field is an impressive venue, but the Aggies’ 12th Man advantage is a myth.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: SEC football's best home-field advantage? This list might surprise you
