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Sports Illustrated Daily Cover Looks at Home Field Advantage

Home field advantage is a real thing, but it could be gone this season if fans aren't allowed inside college football stadiums, and could possibly impact officiating.
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There are still so many unknowns surrounding the upcoming football season, and even more speculation as to how things will ultimately shake out if the season even occurs. 

One such speculation came out o Wednesday when Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim delved into the potential impacts of fan-less stadiums this season

Home field advantage is a real and distinct thing, especially in large stadiums where a hundred thousand rabid fans and a hundred member marching band can make life miserable for visiting teams. Those same factors can also possibly impact the way officials call the game. 

 While Wertheim's work dealt mainly with soccer, there was one paragraph that stood out concerning officials, and the impact crowds had on the way they did their jobs. 

"The researchers looked closely at officiating crews pre- and post-riot. They noted that the same referees overseeing the same two teams in the same stadium behaved dramatically differently when spectators were present, versus when no one was watching."

Wertheim also looks at the NFL and other sports in his review, but it is an interesting topic, and one that based on human psychology could play a prominent role should fans be excluded.

As for Vanderbilt, it's been addressed previously in this forum, the loss of fans for home games might have a different impact. Visiting teams such as Georgia and LSU in 2019 would not have the good fortunes of playing a road game in front of a packed stadium of their fans. 

Wertheim added this on officials and home team advantage about calls. 

"When those close calls, made disproportionately in favor of home teams, can be overturned on appeal—reviewed in a vacuum, the equivalent of a fan-free environment—it erodes the advantage of playing host."

The potential impact on officiating remains to be seen. Still, if it does indeed even out without fans, that certainly won't hurt the Commodores on the road, which should make head coach Derek Mason a happier individual. 

Follow Greg on Twitter @GregAriasSports and @SIVanderbilt or Facebook at Vanderbilt Commodores-Maven.