If I told you this Pac-10 school lost 10 league games at home from 2002-08, and only four schools had fewer league wins in its home stadium during this time period, what school would you guess?
If you picked Oregon, head to the front of the line.
So much for the great home field advantage of Autzen Stadium.
For atmosphere, Autzen Stadium is right up there with the best in the Pac-10. The tailgating is great, even if the parking sucks, and the stadium is top notch. Autzen is probably No. 1 for its environment, though I think if Washington ever gets it going again, Husky Stadium will regain the top spot.
But Autzen’s atmosphere hasn’t translated into an opposing team’s house of horrors. From 2002-08 (didn’t include 2009, because some teams still have home games remaining), USC (28-1), California (23-7) and Arizona (20-9) have more wins against Pac-10 opponents than Oregon (19-10). Next Thursday’s Civil War foe, Oregon State, won 19 games from 2002-08. Same with UCLA.
The chardonnay-sipping, basketball-favoring Bruins, for Pete’s sake!
Only Washington State (12-18), Arizona (10-20), Stanford (9-20) and Washington (7-22) won fewer home Pac-10 games over that seven-season stretch than Oregon.
I point this out not to be mean, but because there are some out there that believe Oregon has an incredible edge in next Thursday’s Civil War because of the home field.
It’s simply not true.
In fact, the last time Oregon ran the table at home was 2000. If the Ducks beat Oregon State, they’ll do it this season. But there were several other years when it should have happened – see 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008 – but didn’t.
There was a time when Autzen presented a huge problem for opponents. From 1997-2001, Oregon won 23 consecutive home games. Since 2001, the longest winning streak the Ducks have been able to construct in Autzen is the current run of nine straight.
If you objectively predict Oregon will win this year’s Civil War, I won’t likely argue against. The Ducks may be superior to Oregon State. And that had better be your reason. Because if has too much to do with the power of Autzen Stadium, it’s time for you to leave Fantasyland.
Nick Daschel covers the Pacific-10 Conference for Buster Sports, and can be reached at ndaschel@bustersports.com
You can also follow Nick on Twitter
Comments
All one has to do is talk to Pac 10 coaches and players and ask them the most difficult conference venue to play and they overwhelmingly agree it's Autzen. While this hasn't always translated into a win for the Ducks the past 8 years, it gives them a significant advantage (if they are able to maximize it).
For the sake of the Civil War, I think the more significant statistic is the home team's record the past decade (since both programs moved to top tier of the Pac 10). The home team has won each contest - with the exception of 2007, when the Ducks were down to their 5th string QB and a banged up Jonathan Steward (and still took the Beavers to OT).
This year I do think the Ducks are slightly better on both sides of the ball but I also think the home field will provide an extra boost to push them past OSU in what should be a high scoring affair.
The USC of old could play in Stanford stadium and go undefeated and it wouldn't have anything to do with the venue. The Ducks have had up and down years and their records reflect that. That has no bearing on whether Autzen is considered the toughest stadium to play in.
As for this years CW, it will make a difference because the Ducks play better at home...their statistics bear that out. They score more points, and hold their opponents to fewer points at home.
Let's begin by asking why 2002-2008 is the period you chose? First, you exclude 2009, which would seem to be worthwhile data if the purpose of your article is to assess Autzen's value to Oregon. Second, if you include 2002, why not include 2000 and 2001?
Could the answer to these questions be that you had a predetermined result you wanted to reach, and you chose a data set that supported your desired conclusion? Could it be because Oregon is 17-1 at Autzen Stadium during 2000, 2001, and 2009, and including that data would undercut your supposedly brilliant discovery?
During this decade, Oregon is 30-11 at Autzen Stadium, which is the second best home record in the Pac 10. Autzen ain't no joke. But you are.