[/QUOTE]I'm aware that a lot of colleges give substantial scholarships to National Merit Finalists but unfortunately most of the colleges that I know of that offer these scholarships are not what most would consider "prestigious" colleges(not trying to bag on Oklahoma State, I'm sure it's a great school).[/QUOTE]
You are correct. Merit scholars are a dime a dozen at the elites. They don't care.
However, there are a number of schools like University of Oklahoma and University of Minnesota which offer the free tuition to out of state finalists. Many of these schools have excellent programs, like OU for Petroleum Engineering and UMN for Chemical Engineering, which can compete with anyone on the planet. If one can justify an extra $35-40k/yr for the prestige of Berkeley or Stanford, have at it.
I don't mean to veer away from the subject of getting an appointment to USAF, but rather to emphasize that one better be treating Plan B and C with as much care as they are their appointment to an SA.