^^^^You just proved how well a Michigan degree travels.
“…but on the other there’s practically no advantage geography-wise to Michigan over UIUC.”
Except one university is located in A2 and one in UC. Have you ever been to UC? I’m not say Michigan is worth 90K more than UIUC, but the one huge advantage that Michigan has is the place where it is located. Personally, I would hate living in UC. Even the thought of doing it for four years is depressing.