I was being tongue in cheek - but like me, you’ve read - I have to go to HYP or Ivy or WUSTL or Emory or Vandy or whatever top 20 - it’s the dream. You’ve even commented on people saying that yourself.
As to why there’s focus on rankings, because they’re out there and for the same reason so many out there are top 20 or bust - and we get a lot of them on the website.
College is a business and they know this - so they want to be that desired destination.
Rarely do you hear someone who dreams of going to Guilford or W Florida, etc.