Let's look at Oklahoma, Alabama, or LSU. Great football, mediocre to poor academics.
How about Tulane? Horrible, horrible football. Barely division 1. Same as Rice, and they are the best Academic school in the region.
Vanderbilt. Worst football in the SEC, best academics.
Athletics can be a great part of an overall strategy for a University. But its also clear that some schools eschew that opportunity and do very well.