there are way too many D3 programs for the caliber of play to be good at the lower level. The top 1-10 D3 can play with the lower 20 D1 programs easily. I have seen a few D3 programs hang with some of the better D1 programs in scrimmages. Yet if the 1s played the 1s top 5 D3 teams can hang with a lot of D1 programs. Maybe even win a game here and there. Look at some of the recent D3 transfers to D1 they didnt do that badly.