If it is a Saturday afternoon in Corvallis and you suddenly hear the buzz of a chainsaw, don’t worry. It’s third down at Reser Stadium. 

This leads one to wonder if this chainsaw affects opposing teams. It’s part of the mystique that fans, coaches, and analysts call home-field advantage.

But how valuable is Reser Stadium to the Beaver football team? How scary can it be to opponents? 

Various explanations have been brought forth to explain it, but the question today is: Can it be quantified? Is there a numerical value for the advantage, if any, conferred to the Beavers when they play at home?

If you asked tight end Andy Alfieri, he’d probably say there is.

“The home games here have spectacular energy… those third downs when they get the chainsaw going? There’s nothing like it,” Alfieri said.

Let’s find out if he’s right.

A statistical approach

By collecting data from the beginning of the 2009 football season through the Beaver game against UNLV on October 19, 2024, we have a sample of 188 total games: 96 home games and 92 away games. 

Home games as those played at Reser Stadium and away games include neutral-site bowl games. 

Since the beginning of the 2009 season, the Beavers are 54-43 at home and 27-64 on the road. That’s a big difference and while it is clearly better for the Beavers to play at home, I want to know exactly how much advantage the Beavers gain when they play at home.

I gathered all of the data and ran it in statistical software. To quantify the relationship between venue and margin of victory, and we need to run a regression with home/away as the explanatory variable and the margin of victory as the response variable.

The results were compelling. 

On average, playing at home provided a 10.65-point advantage over playing on the road. The location of the game definitely had an impact on the margin of the victory.

The Beavers are expected to lose by 7.55 points in away games (almost exactly a touchdown). 

However, by playing at home, we add 10.653 points to the Beavers, equivalent to a touchdown and a field goal.

I am 95% confident that the home-field advantage is between 4.69 and 16.62 points. 

The background behind the way these stats were found can be linked here.

Why It Matters

Home-field advantage goes beyond fan morale. For coaches and players, knowing that the team has a better chance of winning at home can influence game plans, rest schedules, and even play-calling. 

Moreover, for fans, it can enhance the pride of supporting the team on their turf, knowing their presence contributes to a quantifiable boost in performance. This is known as Beaver Nation.

The players can see it.

“The fan base is great, we have a really good fan base here at OSU and the fans always get into it. It’s awesome seeing the orange and black out there,” offensive lineman Luka Vincic said.

Whether it’s the roars at Reser Stadium, the absence of travel fatigue, or the psychological comfort of a familiar environment, the Beavers gain a noticeable edge when they take to their home turf. 

While no team can win every game, the data proves that there is power in the home-field advantage for the Beavers. 

This power, however, is not simply a number tabulated from a computer screen; it is something that highlights the feelings of appreciation that players have not just for wins, but for the game.

“Taking a second to take it all in sometimes when you’re on the field you just see the stands and you just take a second to appreciate the opportunities you have,” Vincic said.

Record against ranked opponents

Beyond general performance, I examined the Beavers’ record against ranked opponents; at home, OSU was 7-16 (30.43%) against AP top 25 teams and 3-25 (10.71%) on the road.

While the record suggests that the Beavers have had challenges against ranked teams, the Beavers still perform better at home, even against stronger opponents. This shows that while the competition level plays a significant role, home-field advantage still makes a difference.

Up Next 

Next time you cheer on the Beavers, know that you’re part of the reason they play just a little bit harder, run a little bit faster, and win a little bit more often.