by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 11 colleges for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual weighs 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 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus, our #1 college for Men's Football. Oklahoma State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Stillwater, OK. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Team revenue averages $419,061 per participant, with expenses of about $241,402 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,335 per athlete.
Oklahoma Baptist University earned the #2 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Shawnee, OK. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,088, with expenses of about $17,950 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,273.
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Located in Norman, OK, University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus is a public institution. University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus records an NCAA APR of 982, and a 78% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $986,306, compared with $556,131 spent per athlete. The school awards about $27,789 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Tulsa came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. University of Tulsa is a private not-for-profit school based in Tulsa, OK. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 959, and a 81% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 61%. The program generates about $160,650 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $160,650 per participant. The school awards about $34,797 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southern Nazarene University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Southern Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bethany, OK. Team revenue averages $10,186 per participant, against $10,362 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,122 per athlete.
University of Central Oklahoma came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in Edmond, OK, University of Central Oklahoma is a public institution. The program generates about $15,310 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,461 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,477.
Northeastern State University did well this year, earning the #7 position. This public school is set in Tahlequah, OK. Team revenue averages $15,266 per participant, against $15,266 in expenses. The school awards about $7,449 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University landed the #8 spot this year. Located in Weatherford, OK, Southwestern Oklahoma State University is a public institution. The program generates about $11,710 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,710 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,204.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Alva, OK. The program generates about $8,316 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,807 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,134.
Southeastern Oklahoma State University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a public school based in Durant, OK. The program generates about $11,552 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,552 per participant. Athletic aid averages $4,833 per athlete.
East Central University landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Ada, OK, East Central University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,522, compared with $9,522 spent per athlete. The school awards about $4,432 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.
