I think that the crowd noise does affect the team. I think that the home team can really benefit from it when they are on defense. This is what the crowd should do:
1. When we are on defense, the crowd should makes lots and lots of noise. This is to try and make it hard for the opposing offense to hear and call audibles. This can and does work.
2. When we have the ball shut up. This goes for the band too. We want it to be easy for our guys to hear and for JPW to call audibles. Band and crowd noise to follow after big play, TD, Field Goal, Long pass etc.
3. When we are on the road we bring lots of fans. Thats one of our biggest advantages. I went to a Bama MSU game in Starkville when I was a student and I think we were actually louder in their stadium than they were. I can imagine that the team draws a lot of excitement from having a lot of support while on the road.
4. I also think that sometimes that we actually play better on the road in a hostile environment. I can imagine that silencing 80-90k screaming fans with a big play can be a good feeling for the away team.
But mostly though, I really don't think that this is something to worry too much about. The fans are going to react to differently according to the game situation. Bad weather, weak opponents and early kickoffs usually lend themselves to quieter crowds.
