It's not easy to decide which college to attend when there are so many options available for student athletes. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Colleges for Men's Football in the Southeast Region ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Our analysis looked at 172 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for Men's Football athletes in the Southeast Region. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the athletic competitiveness of the school and the school's overall quality. This means that a school must provide students with a great education in addition to having a good sports team if it wants to rank well.
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
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Top Colleges in the Southeast Region for Men's Football athletes in the Southeast Region
Our analysis found The University of Alabama to be the best school for Men’s Football athletes in the Southeast Region in this year’s ranking. UA is a large public school situated in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awarded 7,332 bachelor’s degrees in .
UA brought in $127,603,129 while tallying up $75,005,971 in expenses for its Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $52,597,158. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 990.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. On top of its placing in this ranking, UA also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full The University of Alabama Sports Report
The excellent sports programs at Clemson University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Men’s Football athletes in the Southeast Region. Clemson, South Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,123 students in .
Clemson brought in $68,912,760 while tallying up $50,539,277 in expenses for its Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $18,373,483. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 993.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Clemson also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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Out of the 166 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Miami landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Coral Gables, Florida, and it awarded 3,419 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Men’s Football team at U Miami brought home $74,206,277 in revenue in a single year.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. U Miami excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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The excellent sports programs at Vanderbilt University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Men’s Football athletes in the Southeast Region. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,440 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Men’s Football team at Vanderbilt brought home $33,582,944 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 984 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Vanderbilt also took the #2 spot in our overall quality rankings.
Full Vanderbilt University Sports Report
You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Auburn University. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. Auburn is located in Auburn, Alabama and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 5,764 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The team at Auburn took home $106,726,055 in revenue and paid out $52,254,828 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $54,471,227, which isn’t bad at all. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 980.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Auburn excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Auburn University
With a ranking of #6, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. This large public school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 10,063 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at UF took home $93,206,919 in revenue and paid out $60,894,176 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $32,312,743, which isn’t bad at all. The academic progress rate of the team is 973.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. UF also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Full University of Florida Sports Report
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #7. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a large public school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 4,015 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Georgia Tech took home $28,788,322 in revenue and paid out $26,244,520 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $2,543,802, which isn’t bad at all. The great academic progress rate of 978 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, Georgia Tech also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
University of Richmond landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. URichmond is a private not-for-profit institution located in University of Richmond, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 924 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Men’s Football team at URichmond brought home $7,128,073 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 984 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. On top of its placing in this ranking, URichmond also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Virginia Tech came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, the large public school handed out 7,289 bachelor’s degrees in .
Virginia Tech brought in $52,962,813 while tallying up $37,820,809 in expenses for its Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $15,142,004. The academic progress rate of the team is 958.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Virginia Tech also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Florida State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. This large public school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 9,550 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Florida State took home $78,697,218 in revenue and paid out $53,984,333 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $24,712,885, which isn’t bad at all. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 931.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Florida State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Florida State University
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, the large public school handed out 5,533 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Men’s Football team at UT Knoxville made $100,982,596 in revenue, while incurring $39,755,021 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $61,227,575 in profit. The academic progress rate of the team is 967.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UT Knoxville excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Sports Report
With a ranking of #12, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Athens, Georgia, the large public school awarded 8,790 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The team at UGA took home $155,951,449 in revenue and paid out $61,722,123 in expenses in recent times. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $94,229,326. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 969.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. On top of its placing in this ranking, UGA also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full University of Georgia Sports Report
James Madison University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the large public school handed out 4,688 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at JMU took home $11,372,433 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 952.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. On top of its placing in this ranking, JMU also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. USF Tampa is located in Tampa, Florida and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 10,145 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the Men’s Football team at USF Tampa made $18,695,341 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. USF Tampa also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Full University of South Florida - Main Campus Sports Report
Wake Forest University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region list. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,546 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The Men’s Football team at Wake Forest University brought home $28,341,365 in revenue in a single year. The team has a great academic progress rate of 990, signifying that team members care about their grades.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Wake Forest University is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the large public school handed out 4,990 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Louisiana State University took home $95,453,836 in revenue and paid out $59,384,456 in expenses in recent times. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $36,069,380.
In addition to its great ranking here, Louisiana State University is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Duke University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region list. Duke University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 2,312 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Men’s Football team at Duke made $64,725,236 in revenue, while incurring $38,277,925 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $26,447,311. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 986.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. Duke not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #1 on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Duke University
Washington and Lee University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Lexington, Virginia, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 581 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The Men’s Football team at Washington and Lee brought home $507,701 in revenue in a single year.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Washington and Lee not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #3 on our overall quality list.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. This large public school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 6,451 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at UNC Chapel Hill took home $55,604,225 in revenue and paid out $34,398,323 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $21,205,902 for the sports team. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 959.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UNC Chapel Hill excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Wofford College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and it awarded 517 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Men’s Football team at Wofford brought home $6,155,740 in revenue in a single year. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 984.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Wofford also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Full Wofford College Sports Report
University of Louisville came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, the large public school awarded 3,008 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
On the financial side of things, the Men’s Football team at UofL made $34,994,931 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 984.
In addition to its great ranking here, UofL is in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of Louisville
With a ranking of #22, Rhodes College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and it awarded 538 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the Men’s Football team at Rhodes College made $644,003 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. On top of its placing in this ranking, Rhodes College also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Rhodes College
Centre College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Danville, Kentucky, and it awarded 350 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at Centre College of Kentucky took home $461,616 in revenue.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Centre College of Kentucky also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read full sports report on Centre College
With a ranking of #24, University of Arkansas did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. Fayetteville, Arkansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,305 students in .
UARK brought in $84,562,640 while tallying up $45,994,950 in expenses for its Men’s Football team. Thus, the team actually made $38,567,690, which isn’t bad at all.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, UARK also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full University of Arkansas Sports Report
University of South Carolina - Columbia came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Football in the Southeast Region ranking. UofSC is a public institution located in Columbia, South Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7,106 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Men’s Football team at UofSC made $63,834,042 in revenue, while incurring $37,272,774 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $26,561,268, which isn’t bad at all. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 967.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. UofSC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.
References
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
The academic progress rate (APR) of each team was made available by the NCAA.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
