by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 35 colleges for Men’s Football 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than University of Cincinnati-Main Campus this year for Men's Football. Located in Cincinnati, OH, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, alongside a GSR of 98%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. Team revenue averages $253,577 per participant, with expenses of about $253,577 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,882.
Ohio State University-Main Campus is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #2. Located in Columbus, OH, Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. The program generates about $1,315,982 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $757,044 per participant. Athletic aid averages $27,151 per athlete.
University of Toledo ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Located in Toledo, OH, University of Toledo is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 982, alongside a GSR of 96%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $103,478 per participant, compared with $103,478 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,660 in athletic aid per athlete.
Case Western Reserve University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Located in Cleveland, OH, Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,069 per participant, compared with $6,069 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Denison University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Denison University is a private not-for-profit school based in Granville, OH. The program generates about $7,279 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,279 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oberlin College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Oberlin, OH, Oberlin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $15,916 per participant, against $15,916 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Kenyon College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Gambier, OH, Kenyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,655, compared with $6,655 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
John Carroll University placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in University Heights, OH. The program generates about $7,916 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,916 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Dayton landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Dayton, OH, University of Dayton is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,403, compared with $18,650 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,913.
The College of Wooster landed the #10 spot this year. Located in Wooster, OH, The College of Wooster is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,530, against $7,028 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ohio Northern University landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Ada, OH, Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,899, with expenses of about $5,899 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ohio University-Main Campus placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Located in Athens, OH, Ohio University-Main Campus is a public institution. Ohio University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 963, alongside a GSR of 84%. The federal graduation rate stands at 68%. The program generates about $79,504 in revenue per athlete, compared with $79,504 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,284.
Miami University-Oxford ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. This public school is set in Oxford, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 952, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $68,431 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $68,431 per participant. The school awards about $17,790 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kent State University at Kent placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Kent State University at Kent is a public school based in Kent, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 961, and a 86% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $94,103, compared with $94,103 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,976 per athlete.
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus placed #15 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Bowling Green State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Bowling Green, OH. Bowling Green State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 963, with a Graduation Success Rate of 75%. About 54% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $99,599, compared with $101,710 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,840 in athletic aid per athlete.
Youngstown State University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Based in Youngstown, OH, Youngstown State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 980, alongside a GSR of 73%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. The program generates about $40,851 in revenue per athlete, against $40,851 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,634.
Ashland University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Ashland University is a private not-for-profit school based in Ashland, OH. The program generates about $16,633 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $16,633 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,808 per athlete.
Walsh University did well this year, earning the #18 position. Located in North Canton, OH, Walsh University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,135, with expenses of about $13,419 per participant. The school awards about $5,087 in athletic aid per athlete.
Baldwin Wallace University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in Berea, OH. Team revenue averages $5,691 per participant, compared with $5,691 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Capital University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Located in Columbus, OH, Capital University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,477 per participant, against $6,477 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Otterbein University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Westerville, OH, Otterbein University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,164 per participant, with expenses of about $4,689 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ohio Wesleyan University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Delaware, OH, Ohio Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,791, with expenses of about $6,791 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Mount Union came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Located in Alliance, OH, University of Mount Union is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,120, with expenses of about $5,120 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Akron Main Campus did well this year, earning the #24 position. Based in Akron, OH, University of Akron Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 919, and a 67% Graduation Success Rate. About 53% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $69,372 in revenue per athlete, compared with $69,372 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $12,189 per athlete.
Marietta College landed the #25 spot this year. Based in Marietta, OH, Marietta College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,312, against $3,347 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.