I think BYU is a fine academic institution and no where in my posts did I claim otherwise. I think they have a built-in advantage that allows them to select a higher caliber applicant than Utah. When I go to church (which has been in Nebraska, Japan, and D.C. in the last few years), the kids always say they want to go to BYU. It gets hammered into them from the beginning by their parents and church leaders. Half of those kids couldn't tell you a thing about BYU's rankings. They just want to go to BYU because of the church. Nothing wrong with that at all, but it does create more competition for those slots, and in turn, drives up admission standards.