by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 8 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found University of Oregon to be the best college for Men's Football in Oregon. This public school is set in Eugene, OR. The team's NCAA APR score is 958, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $949,087 per participant, compared with $482,916 spent per athlete. The school awards about $22,739 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oregon State University earned the #2 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Corvallis, OR. The team's NCAA APR score is 965, and a 86% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 55%. Team revenue averages $281,218 per participant, with expenses of about $205,585 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,022.
Willamette University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Based in Salem, OR, Willamette University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,813, against $6,813 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lewis & Clark College earned the #4 place for student athletes. Lewis & Clark College is a private not-for-profit school based in Portland, OR. Team revenue averages $6,084 per participant, compared with $6,084 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
George Fox University came in at #5 on this year's ranking 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. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Portland State University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Based in Portland, OR, Portland State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 931, alongside a GSR of 81%. Its federal graduation rate is 59%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $46,174, against $46,174 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,026.
Linfield University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in McMinnville, OR, Linfield University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,608 per participant, with expenses of about $4,980 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Western Oregon University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Monmouth, OR. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,673, compared with $15,673 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,713 in athletic aid 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
See our data sources and methodologies.