A major factor in the decision could be money. Private D3's vs. Public D1's where athletic money is available.
I told junior that he was 100% responsible for college financially, go make a wise choice. At that point, he started questioning the value of degrees from various institutions, weighing the costs of those, factoring in scholarships, etc.
I don't think you can preface your question with, all things being equal, because I'm not sure that's possible between your two categories.