by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 6 schools for Men’s Football (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual evaluates each program using 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
University of Utah tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). This public school is set in Salt Lake City, UT. The team's NCAA APR score is 976, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $761,357, compared with $328,655 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,047.
Brigham Young University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Brigham Young University is a private not-for-profit school based in Provo, UT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 953, alongside a GSR of 70%. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $383,081, compared with $330,082 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,191 per athlete.
Utah State University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). This public school is set in Logan, UT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 936, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. About 70% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $157,364 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $157,364 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,542.
Weber State University landed the #4 spot for Men's Football (Division I). This public school is set in Ogden, UT. Weber State University records an NCAA APR of 966, with a Graduation Success Rate of 77%. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. Team revenue averages $49,408 per participant, compared with $49,408 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,446.
Southern Utah University is one of the top schools for Men's Football (Division I), at #5. Southern Utah University is a public school based in Cedar City, UT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 944, and a 75% Graduation Success Rate. About 42% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $47,202 per participant, against $39,074 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $10,065 per athlete.
Utah Tech University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Saint George, UT, Utah Tech University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 912, with a Graduation Success Rate of 50%. Its federal graduation rate is 30%. The program generates about $43,398 in revenue per athlete, compared with $43,398 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,796 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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
See our data sources and methodologies.