This is a great point, though I may be a bit biased as it is looking increasingly likely that I'll be attending Wendt's old program. However, my favorite professor in college, who has an intimidating intellect, went to a school ranked in the 50s. He's now fully tenured on a beautiful campus in a wonderful town. While I understand why people advise going to the highest ranked program you can, I really have trouble believing that personal intelligence, ability, and motivation count for nothing if you attend a program outside the top 10.