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Ranking college football teams with best home records the last three seasons

These college football teams have been unstoppable at home in recent years
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Home field advantage is exactly 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 in the last decade, home teams tend to win about 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 seasons? In anticipation of his famous preseason magazine, Phil Steele has compiled the numbers for all 134 FBS teams over that time.

The worst home team over that stretch? That dishonor belongs to Stanford, which has gone just 3-16 with a 15.8 winning percentage at Cardinal Stadium. Here are the best.

James Madison

A cheerleader peps up the crowd at a James Madison game during the college football season.

Record: 17-3 (85%)

One of those three home losses came this past season to Appalachian State in a three-point overtime defeat that saw ESPN's College GameDay on hand.

NC State

NC State Wolfpack quarterback Brennan Armstrong attempts a pass during a college football game in the ACC.

Record: 18-3 (85.7%)

Two of these losses came in 2023, when the Wolfpack fell to Notre Dame and Louisville, while 2022 saw one defeat at home, by a single point to Boston College, and NC State ran the table at home in 2021.

LSU

lsu football

Record: 18-3 (85.7%)

LSU didn't lose at home this past season, but was on the wrong end of a lop-sided result against No. 8 Tennessee the year before, and fell to Auburn and Arkansas, both ranked, by a combined eight points in Ed Orgeron's final season as head coach in 2021.

Oregon State

Oregon State Beavers quarterback Chance Nolan attempts a pass during a college football game.

Record: 17-2 (89.5%)

The Beavers dropped a 2-point decision at home to Washington this past season, their sole home loss in 2023, and they went undefeated at Reser Stadium the two seasons before that.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Drake Stoops catches a pass during a college football game.

Record: 17-2 (89.5%)

Both of OU's home losses the last three seasons came in Brent Venables' debut as head coach, dropping both games by a combined 10 points, to Kansas State and then Baylor.

UTSA

UTSA Roadrunners wide receiver and cornerback Tariq Woolen catches a pass during a college football game.

Record: 18-2 (90%)

The Roadrunners lost by 8 at home to Army this past season and by 2 in three overtimes against a ranked Houston team at the Alamodome to open the 2022 campaign before going undefeated in CUSA play.

Clemson

Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik on a rushing attempt during a college football game in the ACC.

Record: 18-2 (90%)

Dabo Swinney's team lost a 7 point decision in overtime to eventual ACC champion Florida State early on at home this past season and the year before, a surprising 1 point upset in Death Valley to rival South Carolina.

Ole Miss

Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart attempts a pass during a college football game in the SEC.

Record: 19-2 (90.5%)

The Rebels went undefeated at home this past season, with both of these losses coming the year prior, by a combined 8 points against Alabama and rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss was undefeated at home in the 2021 season, but lost at Alabama and at Auburn.

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State Cowboys college football team schedule, rankings

Record: 19-2 (90.5%)

OSU lost early at home last fall in a 33-7 decision against underdog South Alabama — but went on to play for the Big 12 title — and the Cowboys dropped a 5 point game in the home finale against West Virginia the season before that.

Ohio State

Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba is arguably the best wide receiver in college football this season.

Record: 19-2 (90.5%)

Ohio State lost by 22 points at home to rival Michigan at the end of the 2022 regular season — and then to Georgia in the College Football Playoff — and couldn't hold back (future B1G opponent) No. 12 Oregon in the Horseshoe in a 7-point loss early in the 2021 season.

Utah

Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising attempts a pass during a college football game.

Record: 18-1 (94.7%)

Five of Utah's six regular season losses the last two years came on the road, save one: a surprising 35-6 defeat in Salt Lake at the hands of No. 8 Oregon in late October when the Utes came in 6-1.

Oregon

Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix attempts a pass during a college football game.

Record: 19-1 (95%)

All of three points keep Oregon from being perfect at Autzen over the last three seasons, as the Ducks dropped a 37-34 game to rival No. 25 Washington two years ago. The other 19 home games, all wins.

Alabama

Alabama Crimson Tide defensive star Will Anderson points at his opponents during a college football game in the SEC.

Record: 20-1 (95.2%)

That one loss at Bryant-Denny came this past season, when the Crimson Tide were unable to hold back future SEC rival Texas in a 34-24 decision in the second week of the 2023 campaign. Alabama rebounded and made the College Football Playoff in what became Nick Saban's last season as head coach.

Georgia

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Ladd McConkey catches a pass during a college football game in the SEC.

Record: 19-0 (100%)

Likewise for the budding dynasty of recent years, as Georgia has parlayed a perfect record in the confines of Sanford Stadium to a pair of national championships, and emerge in 2024 as the favorite for another.

Michigan

Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Roman Wilson catches a touchdown pass during a college football game.

Record: 22-0 (100%)

A clean sheet for the Wolverines in the Big House over the last three seasons, a triumphal return for the program to national relevance: beating Ohio State thrice, winning three Big Ten championships, earning three playoff bids, culminating in the school's first national championship since 1997, all in that time.

You can see Phil Steele's full 134 team list here.

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