If we want to claim our academics are a recruiting advantage against Utah or TCU or Arizona, then we have to admit that Virginia (and quite a few others) have an academic recruiting advantage over us. 

Of 69 P5 teams (including the 4 new ones and ND), BYU ranks #36 academically.  That means there's 35 teams better than us academically, 1 tied (NC State) and 33 worse.  We're right at (or just below) the median.

Virginia is #9.  Utah is #41

USNews 2021 Ranks for all P5 schools (with overall US rank in parentheses)

1.   Stanford (6)
2.   Duke (T9)
      Northwestern (T9)
4.   Vanderbilt (14)
5.   Notre Dame (19)
6.   UCLA (20)
7.   Cal (22)
8.   Michigan (23)
9.   Virginia (25)
10. USC (27)
11. North Carolina (T28)
      Florida (T28)
      Wake Forest (T28)
14. Boston College (36)
15. Georgia Tech (T38)
      Texas (T38)
17. Wisconsin (42)
18. Illinois (47)
19. Georgia (48)
20. Ohio St (T49)
      Purdue (T49)
22. Florida St (T55)
      Miami (T55)
24. Syracuse (T59)
      Maryland (T59)
      Pitt (T59)
      Washington (T59)
28. Penn St (T63)
      Rutgers (T63)
30. Indiana (T68)
      Texas A&M (T68)
      Minnesota (T68)
33. Baylor (T75)
      Clemson (T75)
      Virginia Tech (T75)
36. BYU (T79)
      NC State (T79)
38. Michigan State (T83)
      TCU (T83)
      Iowa (T83)
41. Auburn (T99)
      Colorado (T99)
      Oregon (T99)
      Utah (T99)
45. Arizona (T103)
      Tennesse (T103)
47. Arizona St (T117)
      South Carolina (T117)
49. Iowa St (T122)
      Kansas (T122)
      Missouri (T122)
52. Kentucky (T127)
      Oklahoma (T127)
54. Nebraska (T136)
55. Alabama (T148)
      UCF (T148)
      Cincinnati (T148)
      Ole Miss (T148)
59. Kansas St (T162)
      Oregon St (T162)
      Arkansas (T162)
62. LSU (T172)
63. Houston (T179)
      Washington St (T179)
65. Oklahoma St (T187)
      Louisville (T187)
67. Mississippi St (T196)
68. Texas Tech (T213)
69. West Virginia (T249)