Top 5 Home Field Advantages in D3 Football Playoffs

Any edge you can get in the playoffs, you take it. Teams fight and scratch for as many wins during the regular season as they can to get the highest seed they can come playoff time. One of the biggest reasons for that is it guarantees that team at least one home game during the playoffs, with the ultimate goal having home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. In college football, there's no better feeling than having a stadium full of your peers cheering you on to victory. When the 2015 D3 football playoffs kick off this weekend, 16 teams will begin the road to Salem, Va. in front of their home crowds. But not all home stadiums are the same. These five teams will have a bigger-than-normal home atmosphere Saturday in the first round of the playoffs. [divider] No. 5 SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex [caption id="attachment_100224" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Courtesy of SUNY Cortland Athletics[/caption] The home of BR-24 SUNY Cortland, their stadium, also known as the "Red Field" sits 6,500 fans. The Red Dragons have a rich football tradition that dates all the way back to 1893. This season, Cortland State finished its first season in the Empire 8 atop the conference standings with an 8-2 record. Cortland is making its first trip to the Division 3 playoffs since 2012, when they beat Framingham State 20-19 in the first round before falling 56-6 in the second round to Wesley . Cortland faces BR 21 Salisbury in the first round Saturday. No. 4 Clemens Field, St. John's [caption id="attachment_100225" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Courtesy of St. John's Athletics[/caption] Clemens Field, home of the BR-6 Johnnies, was originally constructed in 1908. According to the school's site, the field was originally a cranberry marsh and was drained to construct the stadium. The stadium was enlarged to 3,00 seats in 1957 and more seats were added to lift the capacity to 7,000 in 2004. More seats were added in 2007 to lift the stadium to its current capacity of 7,482 seats. Clemens field has the distinction of leading D3 in attendance at least 12 of the past 13 years. Sports Illustrated once named Clemens Field one of the "Top 10 destinations" in college football. The Johnnies have a D3 postseason history that dates back to 1963. St. John's begins its 26th D3 postseason appearance Saturday against BR 43 Dubuque . No. 3 Homewood Stadium, Johns Hopkins [caption id="attachment_100249" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Courtesy of the Johns Hopkins Gazette[/caption] Like Clemens Field, Homewood Stadium - the home of the BR-8 Blue Jays - was also originally constructed in 1908. Most of the stadium's upgrades have come in the past 20 years, including the installation of lights in 2007. Part of that upgrade over the years is moving the seating capacity to 8,500 seats. Johns Hopkins has a storied football program that dates back to 1882. The Blue Jays have won the Centennial Conference title 11 of the past 13 years and finished this season with a 10-0 record. The Blue Jays host BR 83 Western New England on Saturday. No. 2 JJ Keller Field, UW-Oshkosh Wisconsin's love for football doesn't just end with the Green Bay Packers. The home of the BR-3 Titans seats 10,000 fans. UW-Oshkosh football dates back to 1893, however, this is only the second D3 postseason appearance for the Titans, the last being in 2012. UW-Oshkosh finished atop the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this season thanks to a well-balanced offensive attack - led by running back Dylan Hecker with 756 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns - and a stingy defense that has only allowed 10.7 points per game. The Titans look to add to its history starting this weekend against BR 146 St. Scholastica . No. 1 Perkins Field, UW-Whitewater [caption id="attachment_100250" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Courtesy of UW Whitewater Athletics[/caption] Standing atop the Division 3 home field advantage mountain is Perkins Field, home to the BR 10 Warhawks. Attending a football game at Perkins Field doesn't seem like a Division 3 experience, mostly because at 13,500 seats, it's by far the largest stadium in Division 3 football. Originally called Warhawks Stadium, the field was renamed in 1996 after long-time coach Forrest Perkins, who, according to the school site, was the driving force behind the construction of the stadium back in 1970. The stadium befits a team like the Warhawks, who enjoy a strong winning tradition that includes six national championships - its latest coming in 2014. UW-Whitewater will look to add to that tradition starting Saturday against BR 44 St. Norbert .

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