<p>While I agree that duke and stanford are very comparable, I was comparing Duke to the ivies on terms of academic rigor. And duke is NOT a southern school, yes it is in the south, yes it has southern charm, but it is not a southern school. Auburn, Ole Miss, Clemson and LSU are southern schools. I do think however that the amount of enthusiasm for the school varies on who you talk to. When my father passes by other trojans wearing USC hats, they always say “fight on”. there is very much trojan pride. However, Duke by far, for most things except cinema and dentistry, is superior academically.</p>