by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 7 colleges for Men’s Football 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Bowdoin College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Football. Based in Brunswick, ME, Bowdoin College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,299 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,766 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bates College is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #2. Based in Lewiston, ME, Bates College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,676, with expenses of about $12,025 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colby College is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #3. Based in Waterville, ME, Colby College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,259 per participant, against $12,259 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Maine is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #4. University of Maine is a public school based in Orono, ME. University of Maine records an NCAA APR of 954, with a Graduation Success Rate of 74%. Its federal graduation rate is 52%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $52,864, compared with $52,864 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,613 per athlete.
Maine Maritime Academy landed the #5 spot for Men's Football. This public school is set in Castine, ME. Team revenue averages $7,403 per participant, against $7,403 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of New England came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Biddeford, ME, University of New England is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,182 per participant, against $7,334 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Husson University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Bangor, ME, Husson University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,312 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,234 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
See our data sources and methodologies.