Yes you would think that modern engines with tighter tolerances, sophisticated management systems, yada yada, the oil filter would have a more important role in engine longevity. Turns out that quality of fuel and oil, the air filter, and overall service frequency, still have a much greater bearing on life.
Also you said "the SuperTech doesn't have a bypass valve in the spring, yet the AC Delco does." Maybe the bypass valve is somewhere else in the SuperTech filter?