Any state school is going to rank lower than private schools like Vanderbilt. They are required to fill in their student rosters with at least a high percentage of in-state students, even if more qualified students from out of state are applying.
And yes, those receiving such entitlements will tend to fail out more easily.
Take the upper echelon of students from LSU (or any other respectable state school), and they'll be on par with the upper echelon from Notre Dame.