124
Colleges
$40,899
Avg Tuition & Fees*
63%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
When pursuing a degree in today's world, student athletes have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men's Football ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
We analyzed 124 colleges and universities across the United States to determine which were the best for D1 (FBS) Men's Football athletes. To come up with this ranking, we look at a number of factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include the school's overall quality as determined by our Best Colleges ranking and the athletic competitiveness of the school. Thus, in order to rank well, the school must offer a quality education in addition to having a great sports team.
Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our analysis found The University of Alabama to be the best school for D1 (FBS) Men’s Football athletes in this year’s ranking. UA is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 7,332 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The team at UA took home $127,603,129 in revenue and paid out $75,005,971 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $52,597,158, 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 990.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UA also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking.
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You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 8,969 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The team at U-M took home $131,403,198 in revenue and paid out $52,408,534 in expenses in recent times. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $78,994,664.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. U-M also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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The excellent sports programs at Clemson University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 (FBS) Men’s Football athletes. Clemson is a large public school situated in Clemson, South Carolina. It awarded 5,123 bachelor’s degrees in .
The FBS Men’s Football team at Clemson made $68,912,760 in revenue, while incurring $50,539,277 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $18,373,483 in profit. The team has a great academic progress rate of 993, signifying that team members care about their grades.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Clemson 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 Clemson University
The excellent sports programs at University of Washington - Seattle Campus helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 (FBS) Men’s Football athletes. This large public school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 9,719 bachelor’s degrees in .
UW Seattle brought in $91,012,211 while tallying up $58,144,085 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. Thus, the team actually made $32,868,126, which isn’t bad at all. The team has a great academic progress rate of 999, signifying that team members care about their grades.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW Seattle also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
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You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. This large public school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 11,957 bachelor’s degrees in .
Ohio State brought in $109,176,080 while tallying up $69,127,911 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $40,048,169.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Ohio State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Sports Report
University of Miami ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football list. U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Coral Gables, Florida. It awarded 3,419 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the FBS Men’s Football team at U Miami took home $74,206,277 in revenue.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, U Miami also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
Full University of Miami Sports Report
With a ranking of #7, Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Located in University Park, Pennsylvania, the large public school awarded 10,293 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The team has a great academic progress rate of 982, signifying that team members care about their grades.
In addition to its great ranking here, Penn State University Park is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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University of Southern California came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 5,642 bachelor’s degrees in .
USC brought in $69,910,492 while tallying up $67,655,498 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $2,254,994. The academic progress rate of the team is 970.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. In addition to its great ranking here, USC is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of Southern California
Northwestern University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,688 students in .
Northwestern brought in $58,918,531 while tallying up $32,910,340 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $26,008,191 for the sports team. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 995.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Northwestern excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Northwestern University
With a ranking of #10, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the large public school handed out 9,741 bachelor’s degrees in .
UW - Madison brought in $88,651,808 while tallying up $30,560,723 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $58,091,085 for the sports team. The team has a great academic progress rate of 986, signifying that team members care about their grades.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. In addition to its great ranking here, UW - Madison is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Stanford University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Located in Stanford, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,699 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Stanford took home $47,505,954 in revenue and paid out $32,114,372 in expenses in recent times. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $15,391,582. The team has a great academic progress rate of 990, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, Stanford is in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Stanford University Sports Report
Vanderbilt University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,440 bachelor’s degrees in .
The FBS Men’s Football team at Vanderbilt brought home $33,582,944 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.
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, Vanderbilt 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 Vanderbilt University
Auburn University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Auburn is a public institution located in Auburn, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5,764 bachelor’s degrees in .
Auburn brought in $106,726,055 while tallying up $52,254,828 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $54,471,227. The great academic progress rate of 980 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Auburn also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
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With a ranking of #14, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Located in Gainesville, Florida, the large public school awarded 10,063 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The FBS Men’s Football team at UF made $93,206,919 in revenue, while incurring $60,894,176 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $32,312,743, which isn’t bad at all. The academic progress rate of the team is 973.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, UF is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of Florida
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football list. University of Oklahoma is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,757 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at University of Oklahoma took home $132,659,502 in revenue and paid out $54,176,637 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $78,482,865, which isn’t bad at all.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, University of Oklahoma also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football list. Georgia Tech is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 4,015 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The FBS Men’s Football team at Georgia Tech made $28,788,322 in revenue, while incurring $26,244,520 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $2,543,802. The great academic progress rate of 978 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Georgia Tech also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
With a ranking of #17, Virginia Tech did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 7,289 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Virginia Tech brought in $52,962,813 while tallying up $37,820,809 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $15,142,004 in profit. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 958.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Virginia Tech excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Virginia Tech Sports Report
Florida State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football list. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,550 students in .
The FBS Men’s Football team at Florida State made $78,697,218 in revenue, while incurring $53,984,333 in expenses. That boils down to a yearly profit of $24,712,885 for the sports team. The academic progress rate of the team is 931.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. In addition to its great ranking here, Florida State is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Florida State University
Boston College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football list. Located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 3,062 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The team at Boston College took home $38,009,926 in revenue and paid out $28,364,617 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $9,645,309, which isn’t bad at all. The team has a great academic progress rate of 989, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, Boston College is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Boston College
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, the large public school awarded 5,533 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The FBS 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.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UT Knoxville also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
University of Georgia landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. UGA is located in Athens, Georgia and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 8,790 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
UGA brought in $155,951,449 while tallying up $61,722,123 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $94,229,326 in profit. The academic progress rate of the team is 969.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, UGA is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of Georgia
With a ranking of #22, University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, the large public school awarded 4,494 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
UNL brought in $95,852,148 while tallying up $32,957,500 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $62,894,648 in profit. The academic progress rate of the team is 974.
In addition to its great ranking here, UNL is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of Nebraska - Lincoln
With a ranking of #23, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football ranking. Boulder, Colorado is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 7,273 students in .
The FBS Men’s Football team at CU - Boulder made $49,113,361 in revenue, while incurring $25,536,219 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $23,577,142, which isn’t bad at all. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 955.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CU - Boulder also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
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University of Utah ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football list. Salt Lake City, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,498 students in .
The team at U of U took home $66,755,247 in revenue and paid out $33,743,482 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $33,011,765, which isn’t bad at all. The team has a great academic progress rate of 988, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, U of U also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football list. UMN Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 8,508 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at UMN Twin Cities took home $72,562,005 in revenue and paid out $38,776,350 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $33,785,655 in profit. 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 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, UMN Twin Cities 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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