Champaign doesn't have sufficient infrastructure (think construction workers even) so they'd be looking at Chicago suburbs. This would make Labor costs way too high. Wisconsin would be a fantastic choice but Foxconn boondoggle probably ruined that possibility.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_public... Top 3 US, as you said, but nowhere near top 3 in the world, as you also said. Also, enrollment sure isn’t everything. Speaking as someone who used to live near Orlando, UCF is #2 on that list and I had consistent bad luck hiring computer science grads from there. And 3 of the top 5 are in Florida (it’s been like that since 2015) and I don’t see tech employers scrambling to move to Florida en masse. The focus and quality of the institution definitely matters.