Maybe it’s a degree of unfamiliarity combined with unconscious acceptance of the SEC stereotype, but the only SEC school I’ve ever thought had an outstanding academic reputation is Vanderbilt.
In your posts #17 and #18 you are pushing the national or academic “reputation” of certain schools.
That “reputation” is what permits some schools to require exceedingly over-valued tuitions.
As a Manager in a major defense contractor for many years, I had to interview tons of recent grads for professional positions. Those from Stanford, Harvard, Yale, et al, had the expensive degrees and false promises from their schools that they would be making top dollar in management positions. .....I found that grads from State schools who had worked part time to help support themselves while in school were much more attuned to the REAL world and had their feet on the ground and their heads straight regarding expectations. They were the best hires!