124
Colleges
$39,240
Avg Tuition & Fees*
61%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
When pursuing a degree in today's world, student athletes have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men's Football ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
We analyzed 124 colleges and universities across the United States to determine which were the best for D1 (FBS) Men's Football athletes. To come up with this ranking, we look at a number of factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include the school's overall quality as determined by our Best Colleges ranking and the athletic competitiveness of the school. Thus, in order to rank well, the school must offer a quality education in addition to having a great sports team.
Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Custom Rankings
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called
College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don't have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
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See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our analysis found The University of Alabama to be the best school for D1 (FBS) Men’s Football athletes in this year’s ranking. UA is a large public school situated in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awarded 8,062 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The FBS Men’s Football team at UA made $110,110,211 in revenue, while incurring $58,508,853 in expenses. That boils down to a yearly profit of $51,601,358 for the sports team. The team has a great academic progress rate of 990, signifying that team members care about their grades.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full sports report on The University of Alabama
You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,144 students in 2020-2021.
The FBS Men’s Football team at U-M made $125,773,306 in revenue, while incurring $44,684,585 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $81,088,721 in profit.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full sports report on University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Clemson University. It ranked #3 on our 2021 Best Colleges for D1 (FBS) Men’s Football athletes list. Clemson University is a large public school located in Clemson, South Carolina that handed out 5,155 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Clemson brought in $63,120,884 while tallying up $55,912,162 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $7,208,722 in profit. The team has a great academic progress rate of 993, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full sports report on Clemson University
You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,451 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The FBS Men’s Football team at UW Seattle made $91,704,081 in revenue, while incurring $38,441,025 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $53,263,056 in profit. The great academic progress rate of 999 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. This large public school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 12,018 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The team at Ohio State took home $115,510,031 in revenue and paid out $52,616,230 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $62,893,801 in profit.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full sports report on Ohio State University - Main Campus
University of Miami ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football list. University of Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Coral Gables, Florida that handed out 3,348 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The FBS Men’s Football team at U Miami made $59,453,410 in revenue, while incurring $48,945,543 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $10,507,867.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full sports report on University of Miami
Pennsylvania State University - University Park did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking, coming in at #7. Penn State University Park is a public institution located in University Park, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16,675 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The great academic progress rate of 982 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Full Pennsylvania State University - University Park Sports Report
University of Southern California landed the #8 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,745 students in 2020-2021.
The team at USC took home $53,380,160 in revenue and paid out $36,363,652 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $17,016,508 in profit. The academic progress rate of the team is 970.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full sports report on University of Southern California
Northwestern University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 2,722 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The FBS Men’s Football team at Northwestern made $59,510,410 in revenue, while incurring $33,092,234 in expenses. That boils down to a yearly profit of $26,418,176 for the sports team. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 995.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Northwestern University Sports Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the large public school handed out 9,926 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison brought in $87,408,161 while tallying up $29,316,118 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $58,092,043. The team has a great academic progress rate of 986, signifying that team members care about their grades.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read More…
Stanford University landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,511 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The team at Stanford took home $40,933,017 in revenue and paid out $27,738,893 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $13,194,124 for the sports team. The team has a great academic progress rate of 990, signifying that team members care about their grades.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Stanford University Sports Report
Vanderbilt University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,365 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt brought in $33,385,110 while tallying up $29,215,452 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $4,169,658. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 984.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full sports report on Vanderbilt University
Auburn University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Auburn is a large public school situated in Auburn, Alabama. It awarded 5,840 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The team at Auburn took home $97,665,511 in revenue and paid out $45,953,519 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $51,711,992 in profit. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 980.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Full Auburn University Sports Report
University of Florida ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football list. UF is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 9,775 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UF brought in $94,905,944 while tallying up $37,611,096 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $57,294,848 for the sports team. The academic progress rate of the team is 973.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read More…
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5,069 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
University of Oklahoma brought in $101,881,969 while tallying up $41,455,783 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $60,426,186.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Sports Report
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. This large public school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 3,879 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The FBS Men’s Football team at Georgia Tech made $28,233,839 in revenue, while incurring $27,200,382 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $1,033,457. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 978.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Sports Report
Virginia Tech came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, the large public school awarded 7,699 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The team at Virginia Tech took home $50,292,457 in revenue and paid out $35,625,481 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $14,666,976 for the sports team. The academic progress rate of the team is 958.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Virginia Tech Sports Report
Florida State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football list. Florida State University is a large public school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 9,735 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The team at Florida State took home $71,102,595 in revenue and paid out $67,752,719 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $3,349,876, which isn’t bad at all. The academic progress rate of the team is 931.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
With a ranking of #19, Boston College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. It awarded 3,208 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Boston College brought in $31,795,533 while tallying up $26,709,656 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $5,085,877. The great academic progress rate of 989 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Boston College Sports Report
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #20 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, the large public school handed out 5,356 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The FBS Men’s Football team at UT Knoxville made $91,615,408 in revenue, while incurring $38,115,086 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $53,500,322 in profit. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 967.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full sports report on The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
With a ranking of #21, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. University of Georgia is a large public school located in Athens, Georgia that handed out 8,870 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The FBS Men’s Football team at UGA made $134,463,859 in revenue, while incurring $48,501,193 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $85,962,666. The academic progress rate of the team is 969.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of Georgia Sports Report
University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #22 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Lincoln, Nebraska is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,727 students in 2020-2021.
UNL brought in $95,848,584 while tallying up $31,601,463 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $64,247,121 for the sports team. The academic progress rate of the team is 974.
Full University of Nebraska - Lincoln Sports Report
With a ranking of #23, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. CU - Boulder is located in Boulder, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7,404 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
CU - Boulder brought in $50,478,934 while tallying up $22,703,444 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $27,775,490. The academic progress rate of the team is 955.
Read More…
With a ranking of #24, University of Utah did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. University of Utah is a large public school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 5,437 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The FBS Men’s Football team at U of U made $62,643,143 in revenue, while incurring $31,759,405 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $30,883,738 in profit. The great academic progress rate of 988 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Utah Sports Report
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the large public school handed out 9,414 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The FBS Men’s Football team at UMN Twin Cities made $61,719,121 in revenue, while incurring $34,187,250 in expenses. That boils down to a yearly profit of $27,531,871 for the sports team. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 980.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Sports Report
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