I suppose you could say this is the kind of poll that really matters.
I was rooting around on Digg during class and saw they were posting the "top 200 Universities in the world". Unlike the U$ New$ ranking$, they have the audacity to place importance in categories actually relating to academics instead of money. Things such as research quality, graduate employability, international outlook, and teaching quality. UCLA checks in at 31st overall and 15th among American universities. To get a sense of the accuracy, consider that Cal, ranked extremely low in U$ New$, is 8th.
The full listing is here although the site is getting bombed right now because of Digg traffic.
(What about the trOJans you say? A lofty 101. L. O. L. So much for "gap-closing")