by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 33 programs for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual weighs 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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Stanford University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Football. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Stanford, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 986, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. The program generates about $327,200 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $327,200 per participant. Athletic aid averages $42,012 per athlete.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public school based in Seattle, WA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 977, alongside a GSR of 93%. About 68% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $1,061,570 per participant, with expenses of about $604,577 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,539.
University of Southern California earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. About 55% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $638,060 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $638,060 per participant. Athletic aid averages $40,006 per athlete.
Chapman University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in Orange, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,217, against $7,217 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Nevada-Las Vegas landed the #5 spot for Men's Football. This public school is set in Las Vegas, NV. University of Nevada-Las Vegas records an NCAA APR of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. The program generates about $218,650 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $184,554 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,395.
University of California-Berkeley did well this year, earning the #6 position. Based in Berkeley, CA, University of California-Berkeley is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 962, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $532,955 in revenue per athlete, against $389,349 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,267.
San Diego State University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in San Diego, CA, San Diego State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. About 68% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $211,085, with expenses of about $192,017 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,450 per athlete.
University of Oregon landed the #8 spot this year. University of Oregon is a public school based in Eugene, OR. University of Oregon records an NCAA APR of 958, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $949,087 per participant, with expenses of about $482,916 per participant. The school awards about $22,739 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of San Diego came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in San Diego, CA, University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 966, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,053, compared with $24,053 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,537 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This public school is set in Los Angeles, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 961, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $456,240, against $456,240 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,306 per athlete.
Oregon State University placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Located in Corvallis, OR, Oregon State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 965, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. Its federal graduation rate is 55%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $281,218, against $205,585 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,022 per athlete.
California Lutheran University did well this year, earning the #12 position. California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit school based in Thousand Oaks, CA. The program generates about $4,309 in revenue per athlete, against $4,309 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Willamette University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Based in Salem, OR, Willamette University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,813 per participant, against $6,813 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California State University-Fresno ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Based in Fresno, CA, California State University-Fresno is a public institution. California State University-Fresno records an NCAA APR of 985, and a 81% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 44%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $158,109, compared with $158,109 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $15,577 per athlete.
University of California-Davis came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in Davis, CA, University of California-Davis is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 967, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. The program generates about $67,242 in revenue per athlete, against $67,242 in expenses. The school awards about $14,267 in athletic aid per athlete.
Washington State University landed the #16 spot this year. This public school is set in Pullman, WA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 964, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 47%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $313,157, with expenses of about $184,645 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,338.
Pacific Lutheran University placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Tacoma, WA, Pacific Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,792, with expenses of about $9,223 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lewis & Clark College did well this year, earning the #18 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Portland, OR. Team revenue averages $6,084 per participant, with expenses of about $6,084 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public school based in San Luis Obispo, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 955, alongside a GSR of 84%. Its federal graduation rate is 76%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $50,808, compared with $50,808 spent per athlete. The school awards about $10,344 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Nevada-Reno landed the #20 spot this year. Based in Reno, NV, University of Nevada-Reno is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 952, alongside a GSR of 82%. About 52% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $116,452 per participant, with expenses of about $110,971 per participant. The school awards about $21,799 in athletic aid per athlete.
George Fox University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. George Fox University is a private not-for-profit school based in Newberg, OR. Team revenue averages $9,876 per participant, compared with $9,154 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Redlands came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Located in Redlands, CA, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,642 in revenue per athlete, against $5,364 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Whitworth University landed the #23 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Spokane, WA. The program generates about $7,710 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,610 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California State University-Sacramento came in at #24 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Sacramento, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 961, with a Graduation Success Rate of 72%. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $65,329, against $65,329 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,560 per athlete.
San Jose State University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in San Jose, CA, San Jose State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 944, and a 72% Graduation Success Rate. About 52% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $115,903 per participant, with expenses of about $115,903 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,034 per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.