Are Big Schools Better Than Small Schools?

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine the other day about why great players form small schools get drafted lower than good players from big name schools. He summed it up with one word, politics. "Teams would rather draft a guy from Michigan that runs a 4.5 over a guy from Murray St. that runs a 4.3. They figure the Michigan guy has to be better because of where he went to school, not because of what he did on the field." At first I agreed with his statement, but after further thought I had to change my mind. It's not politics, it's the system. It has to work that way. The best players go to the best schools and play against the best talent. There is no denying this. That's not to say some players who attend small schools couldn't play at a major college program, but there's a reason they didn't end up at the big school to begin with. Grades, off the field incidents, and attitude often keep talented athletes from gaining attention and exposure during the recruiting process. The system isn't built for those variables. The system's purpose is to evaluate the cream, not nurture and cultivate. Of course some talent will fall through the cracks but you can't blame the system for that. instead give the athlete credit for becoming a great player in a less than perfect environment. All things being equal take the guy from the big school over the guy from the little school. It's not a perfect system, but what system is?