by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 10 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:
University of Louisville tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Football. This public school is set in Louisville, KY. University of Louisville records an NCAA APR of 979, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 66%. The program generates about $275,757 in revenue per athlete, compared with $256,209 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,083 per athlete.
Western Kentucky University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. This public school is set in Bowling Green, KY. Western Kentucky University records an NCAA APR of 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 84%. Its federal graduation rate is 52%. Team revenue averages $98,574 per participant, with expenses of about $98,574 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,243 per athlete.
University of Kentucky is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #3. Located in Lexington, KY, University of Kentucky is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 977, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. Its federal graduation rate is 49%. Team revenue averages $354,770 per participant, with expenses of about $354,770 per participant. Athletic aid averages $23,921 per athlete.
Centre College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Danville, KY, Centre College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,384 per participant, compared with $5,384 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Eastern Kentucky University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #5. This public school is set in Richmond, KY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 957, and a 79% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 53%. Team revenue averages $55,570 per participant, with expenses of about $55,570 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,644.
Kentucky Wesleyan College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Owensboro, KY, Kentucky Wesleyan College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,441, with expenses of about $15,997 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,522.
Murray State University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This public school is set in Murray, KY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 931, alongside a GSR of 85%. About 49% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $50,238 in revenue per athlete, against $36,385 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,774.
Thomas More University placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Located in Crestview Hills, KY, Thomas More University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,855 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,320 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,453.
Morehead State University placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Morehead State University is a public school based in Morehead, KY. The team's NCAA APR score is 938, and a 58% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,664, against $13,073 in expenses. The school awards about $4,170 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kentucky State University placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Frankfort, KY, Kentucky State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $9,559 per participant, with expenses of about $9,559 per participant. Athletic aid averages $1,939 per athlete.
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.