Arizona is 4-1 this season on its home turf. Assistant coach Dana Dimel says playing at home is "probably worth a touchdown."

GREG BRYAN / arizona daily star 2008

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On paper, Saturday's game between Arizona and Oregon State should not be close.

The Beavers have won five straight games and sit atop the Pac-10 Conference standings. They are two victories from the program's first Rose Bowl berth since 1965.

The Arizona Wildcats have lost three of their last five games. They are coming off a 55-45 loss at Oregon, a game in which they allowed 504yards and seven touchdowns.

But guess who is favored?

Arizona, by 2 1/2 points.

Credit home-field advantage, a somewhat-indefinable edge teams receive by playing in front of a home crowd and familiar surroundings. But what is playing at home worth — to the team, the athletic department, the oddsmakers?

"I don't know if you can put a number on it, but it's huge," UA guard Joe Long-acre said. "I know when we got down to Oregon, their home-field advantage was definitely an advantage."

Oddsmakers place a team's home-field advantage anywhere between three and five points, depending on the program, its opponent and factors like weather and ease of travel.

Arizona's players and coaches believe it is worth more than that. The UA is 4-1 at Arizona Stadium this year.

The Wildcats have won eight home games since the start of the 2007 season, one more than they had in Mike Stoops' first three years combined.

"When a team starts to get the confidence like we're getting at home, it's probably worth a touchdown," running backs coach Dana Dimel said.

And the advantage builds.

The UA athletic department announced plans this fall to expand Arizona Stadium. Athletic director Jim Livengood said improved facilities will build a true home-field advantage.

"Arizona Stadium will become a tougher and tougher place to play every year," he said.

3-5 pts

Las Vegas oddsmaker Mike Seba says home-field advantage is worth about a field goal — and sometimes a bit more.

Seba said location and weather can increase a team's home-field advantage. Hostile crowds, however, have no effect.

"If you play in a major conference, the crowds — generally speaking — are kind of the same everywhere," he said.

Location and weather vary, giving home teams the edge.

Washington State, for instance, benefits from its remote location in Pullman, Wash., and cold late-season weather.

Arizona schools have sunshine and are airplane-accessible for visiting teams — traits that are good for tourism but bad if developing a home-field advantage.

Seba's group, Las Vegas Sports Consultants, gives the largest average home-field edge — anywhere from 5 1/2 to six points — to Hawaii and Boise State.

Hawaii is easy to understand — the Warriors' opponents must cross the Pacific Ocean, and endure as many as four time-zone changes.

Boise State "is just kind of an interesting place," Seba said. "They really have nothing else other than football. The weather, blue field, and all that — it grades out over their results."

The athletic department:

$615,000 to $1.3M a game

John Perrin, the UA assistant athletic director for business and finance, projects that this year's football ticket revenue will gross about $6.2 million.

Individual game revenues vary based on attendance and cost of tickets.

The Wildcats' season-opening victory over Idaho netted about $615,000. The Dec. 6 rivalry game against Arizona State is expected to bring in about twice that much.

Football ticket revenues account for 17 percent of the athletic department's total revenue, Perrin said. Those numbers do not include priority seating charges, which bring in an added $2 million a year.

Football helps fund the rest of the UA's sports teams, creates excitement about the UA and has a public-relations value that cannot be measured, Livengood said.

"In terms of a home game you can win, the edge is immeasurable,"he said.

Comfort

Randy Cohen, the UA director of medical services, does not believe in a home-field advantage when it comes to keeping players healthy.

But, he admits, playing at home brings a comfort factor that can't really be measured.

"You feel more comfortable at home for any kind of medical care or medical emergency because you have all your stuff there, all your staff and all your resources," he said.

A clear head …

and a few extra steps

The Cats average 42.2 points at home, 37.2 on the road, and there's a good reason why.

Offensive players can generally hear audibles and check-downs at the line of scrimmage. They are familiar with the grass and other quirks of Arizona Stadium.

"We talk to our players all the time: A clear mind equals fast legs," offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes said. "If you're comfortable in your surroundings and feel good about your situation, you play faster and with a little more attitude. I think that holds true for everybody. I think that's why there's a home-field advantage."

Split- second advantage

UA coach Mike Stoops believes that home-field advantage benefits the home team's defense more than the offense.

That could explain why the Wildcats are allowing more than twice as many points when they play on the road. The Wildcats allow an average of 30.6 points per game on the road and 14.8 points per game at home.

"Defensively, you get some energy at home," he said. "The crowd noise gets the (opposing) offense off. It can be loud enough that they're a fraction of a second late."

Safety Nate Ness said a good home crowd can be "electric," boosting the home team and demoralizing the visitors. "When we're out there with them, we feel the energy," he said.