by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 13 schools 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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Leading the list is University of Missouri-Columbia, our #1 college for Men's Football. This public school is set in Columbia, MO. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 52%. Team revenue averages $436,895 per participant, with expenses of about $404,231 per participant. The school awards about $16,637 in athletic aid per athlete.
Washington University in St Louis landed the #2 spot for Men's Football. Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit school based in St. Louis, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,264, with expenses of about $8,013 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Missouri State University-Springfield landed the #3 spot for Men's Football. Missouri State University-Springfield is a public school based in Springfield, MO. The team's NCAA APR score is 942, and a 67% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. The program generates about $66,243 in revenue per athlete, compared with $66,243 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $12,364 per athlete.
Southeast Missouri State University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #4. Southeast Missouri State University is a public school based in Cape Girardeau, MO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 963, with a Graduation Success Rate of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 51%. The program generates about $35,398 in revenue per athlete, against $35,398 in expenses. The school awards about $9,582 in athletic aid per athlete.
William Jewell College earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Liberty, MO, William Jewell College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,566 in revenue per athlete, against $17,469 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,219.
Missouri University of Science and Technology ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. This public school is set in Rolla, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,768, with expenses of about $14,768 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,772 per athlete.
Northwest Missouri State University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Maryville, MO, Northwest Missouri State University is a public institution. The program generates about $24,948 in revenue per athlete, compared with $24,948 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,287.
Truman State University placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Truman State University is a public school based in Kirksville, MO. The program generates about $14,989 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,989 per participant. The school awards about $3,206 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lindenwood University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Based in Saint Charles, MO, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 963, and a 66% Graduation Success Rate. About 48% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $37,884 per participant, against $37,884 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,722 per athlete.
Southwest Baptist University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Southwest Baptist University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bolivar, MO. Team revenue averages $15,409 per participant, against $15,409 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,015 per athlete.
University of Central Missouri landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Warrensburg, MO, University of Central Missouri is a public institution. The program generates about $18,482 in revenue per athlete, compared with $18,482 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,385.
Missouri Western State University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Saint Joseph, MO, Missouri Western State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,067, against $21,034 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,151 per athlete.
Missouri Southern State University landed the #13 spot this year. Missouri Southern State University is a public school based in Joplin, MO. Team revenue averages $15,352 per participant, compared with $15,016 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,261 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
See our data sources and methodologies.
