I think of Stanford and Duke kinda similar in that they both have good athletics and have good academic programs across the board. They both are definitely top colleges which are not in Ivy group, along with MIT, Cal Tech etc. I personally think it’s amazing for a school to maintain great athletic programs as well as high-caliber academic reputation. By the way, my kid got into Stanford REA this year but I run across many people whose “dream” school is Duke.
No question that Stanford gains from the Silicon Valley appeal, whereas Duke’s appeal increased due to its basketball program. Overall, Duke’s steady rise in ranking over the years is very impressive. Stanford is the “dream” school of many high school students in CA and Western region, and I am sure Duke is the “dream” school for many in their region of states. It’s important to remember that not all high school kids like specific schools.