Surely, the most important point (for playing) is, at least at a D1, if you have an athletic scholarship, then you are counted as one of the 27 allowable scholarship players, they can't take the roster spot away and give it to someone else (at least in the 1st year), so they have an incentive to develop you and give you opportunities. If you have an academic scholarship, then, from the point of view of the NCAA, you are a walk-on, competing with all other walk-ons for the 8 walk-on spots on the team. So, all those teams with 40 or 45 or 50+ fall rosters, 27 might have athletic money and be guaranteed, the academic scholarship players are in the other group, and thus some will get cut. Obviously you still have a chance to be a starter, all those 27+8 will have that chance. The 5 or 10 or 15 who are cut will not have that chance.