21
Colleges
$31,476
Avg Tuition & Fees*
51%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
Student athletes have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men's Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Our analysis looked at 21 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for D1 (FBS) Men's Football athletes in the Great Lakes Region. 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 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor to be the best school for D1 (FBS) Men’s Football athletes in the Great Lakes Region 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. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $78,994,664 in profit.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, U-M is ranked #4 for overall quality in the Great Lakes Region .
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A rank of #2 on our list means Ohio State University - Main Campus is a great place for D1 (FBS) Men’s Football athletes in the Great Lakes Region working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Columbus, Ohio, the large public school awarded 11,957 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The FBS Men’s Football team at Ohio State made $109,176,080 in revenue, while incurring $69,127,911 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $40,048,169 in profit.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ohio State also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on Ohio State University - Main Campus
A rank of #3 on our list means Northwestern University is a great place for D1 (FBS) Men’s Football athletes in the Great Lakes Region working on their bachelor’s degree. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 2,688 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The FBS Men’s Football team at Northwestern made $58,918,531 in revenue, while incurring $32,910,340 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $26,008,191 in profit. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 995.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our overall quality rankings.
Read full sports report on Northwestern University
The excellent sports programs at University of Wisconsin - Madison helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 (FBS) Men’s Football athletes in the Great Lakes Region. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 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. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $58,091,085 in profit. The team has a great academic progress rate of 986, 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. UW - Madison also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Sports Report
The excellent sports programs at University of Notre Dame helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 (FBS) Men’s Football athletes in the Great Lakes Region. Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,829 bachelor’s degrees in .
Notre Dame brought in $136,688,613 while tallying up $59,485,697 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $77,202,916. The academic progress rate of the team is 970.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. In addition to its Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Notre Dame is ranked #2 for overall quality in the Great Lakes Region .
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With a ranking of #6, Western Michigan University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. WMU is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,833 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the FBS Men’s Football team at WMU took home $9,257,648 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 948.
Read full sports report on Western Michigan University
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, the large public school handed out 7,504 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at IU Bloomington took home $59,883,653 in revenue and paid out $31,678,333 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $28,205,320 in profit. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 969.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, IU Bloomington is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Indiana University - Bloomington
Michigan State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,247 bachelor’s degrees in .
Michigan State brought in $95,112,924 while tallying up $47,456,650 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $47,656,274. 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 92%. Michigan State 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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Miami University - Oxford ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region list. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public school located in Oxford, Ohio that handed out 4,655 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the FBS Men’s Football team at Miami University - Oxford made $10,362,801 in revenue. 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 89%. Miami University - Oxford also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,150 students in .
UIUC brought in $63,208,225 while tallying up $29,035,738 in expenses for its FBS Men’s Football team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $34,172,487. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 970.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UIUC also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 8,676 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Purdue took home $62,465,667 in revenue and paid out $24,857,827 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $37,607,840 in profit.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Purdue also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus Sports Report
Ohio University - Athens Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a large public school located in Athens, Ohio that handed out 5,850 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the FBS Men’s Football team at OHIO Athens took home $9,272,854 in revenue.
Read full sports report on Ohio University - Athens Campus
With a ranking of #13, University of Toledo did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Toledo, Ohio, the fairly large public school awarded 2,940 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
Speaking financially, the FBS Men’s Football team at University of Toledo took home $10,960,995 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 983.
Full University of Toledo Sports Report
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the large public school awarded 6,665 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The FBS Men’s Football team at UC brought home $23,711,631 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 990 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Central Michigan University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region list. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It awarded 3,164 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the FBS Men’s Football team at Central Michigan took home $10,523,074 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 972.
Full Central Michigan University Sports Report
Northern Illinois University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, the fairly large public school awarded 2,844 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
Speaking financially, the FBS Men’s Football team at NIU took home $7,600,688 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 962.
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Ball State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region list. Ball State is a fairly large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 3,343 bachelor’s degrees in .
The FBS Men’s Football team at Ball State brought home $7,742,783 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 969.
Full Ball State University Sports Report
Eastern Michigan University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Eastern Michigan is a public institution located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,098 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the FBS Men’s Football team at Eastern Michigan made $9,616,319 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 976 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Full Eastern Michigan University Sports Report
With a ranking of #19, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school located in Bowling Green, Ohio that handed out 3,036 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the FBS Men’s Football team at BGSU made $6,971,895 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 947.
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University of Akron Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Akron, Ohio, the fairly large public school handed out 2,480 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the FBS Men’s Football team at University of Akron Main Campus took home $6,133,980 in revenue.
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Kent State University at Kent landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I (FBS) Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Kent, Ohio, the large public school handed out 5,070 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Kent State took home $8,377,855 in revenue and paid out $7,941,829 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $436,026, which isn’t bad at all.
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