by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 11 programs for Men’s Football (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual scores each program on a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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Explore the leading programs below:
Stanford University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). Located in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Team revenue averages $327,200 per participant, compared with $327,200 spent per athlete. The school awards about $42,012 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Southern California ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Los Angeles, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, alongside a GSR of 85%. Its federal graduation rate is 55%. The program generates about $638,060 in revenue per athlete, against $638,060 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $40,006 per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Football (Division I). This public school is set in Berkeley, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 962, alongside a GSR of 85%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $532,955, with expenses of about $389,349 per participant. The school awards about $21,267 in athletic aid per athlete.
San Diego State University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Football (Division I). Based in San Diego, CA, San Diego State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. About 68% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $211,085, against $192,017 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,450.
University of California-Los Angeles came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Football (Division I). This public school is set in Los Angeles, CA. University of California-Los Angeles records an NCAA APR of 961, alongside a GSR of 80%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. The program generates about $456,240 in revenue per athlete, compared with $456,240 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $24,306 per athlete.
University of San Diego came in at #6 in this year's ranking. University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit school based in San Diego, CA. University of San Diego records an NCAA APR of 966, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. The program generates about $24,053 in revenue per athlete, compared with $24,053 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,537 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Fresno placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). Located in Fresno, CA, California State University-Fresno is a public institution. California State University-Fresno records an NCAA APR of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 81%. The federal graduation rate stands at 44%. The program generates about $158,109 in revenue per athlete, compared with $158,109 spent per athlete. The school awards about $15,577 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Davis came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Davis, CA, University of California-Davis is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 967, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $67,242, compared with $67,242 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,267.
San Jose State University landed the #9 spot this year. This public school is set in San Jose, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 944, with a Graduation Success Rate of 72%. About 52% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $115,903, compared with $115,903 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,034 per athlete.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo landed the #10 spot this year. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public school based in San Luis Obispo, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 955, and a 84% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 76%. Team revenue averages $50,808 per participant, against $50,808 in expenses. The school awards about $10,344 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Sacramento came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Sacramento, CA, California State University-Sacramento is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 961, alongside a GSR of 72%. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. Team revenue averages $65,329 per participant, compared with $65,329 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,560 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.