Schools have associates that write papers for the so-called student athletes. Some schools have larger academic advising staffs than others. They have access to old test questions that professors have used previously.Some schools have more professors that like football and the athletic department can funnel players into their classes. Some schools have more "European Film Studies" or "Modern Jazz Appreciation" type courses that are easier to earn credits in. Some schools are just easier than others. So the whole rating thing can be manipulated. Now I will give you that some of the top academic schools rank at or near the top of the GSR rankings, but for most schools including the top academic dogs there are a whole lot of things going on that impact the rankings. So take the GSR with a grain of salt. It's all a shuffle board game.