I agree, I don't buy into the idea that you have to go to a T-1 school to get a job. However, I do think that you need to go to a T-1 school if you want your degree to travel well. I don't doubt that Philly is dominated by local schools, though I don't have any first-hand knowledge. Likewise, Denver is dominated by DU and CU grads. Here's the rub though: you can take a job from UVA out to colorado and get a job, and you can take a degree from stanford and get a job in Philly, but it's going to be tough to get a job in Philly on a DU degree, nor a Denver job on a Temple degree.