by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 6 colleges for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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:
Leading the list is University of Utah, our #1 college for Men's Football. Located in Salt Lake City, UT, University of Utah is a public institution. University of Utah records an NCAA APR of 976, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $761,357 per participant, with expenses of about $328,655 per participant. The school awards about $29,047 in athletic aid per athlete.
Brigham Young University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Provo, UT, Brigham Young University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 953, and a 70% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $383,081, against $330,082 in expenses. The school awards about $13,191 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utah State University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Logan, UT, Utah State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 936, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. 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. Athletic aid averages $14,542 per athlete.
Weber State University landed the #4 spot for Men's Football. This public school is set in Ogden, UT. Weber State University records an NCAA APR of 966, and a 77% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. The program generates about $49,408 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $49,408 per participant. The school awards about $10,446 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southern Utah University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This public school is set in Cedar City, UT. The team's NCAA APR score is 944, alongside a GSR of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 42%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $47,202, against $39,074 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $10,065 per athlete.
Utah Tech University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Based in Saint George, UT, Utah Tech University is a public institution. Utah Tech University records an NCAA APR of 912, with a Graduation Success Rate of 50%. About 30% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,398, against $43,398 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,796.
*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.