Is Yale actually better than Princeton. Is Cornell actually better than Duke? Is Columbia really better than Caltech?

Your success will not differ by going to the schools. With these universities, the only difference would be the types of academic or professional area you will touch more.

there is no difference. Everyone evaluates universities in different ways., so to follow what one group of people value about university is nonsensical. Develop your own value system and rank by that. This also means to evaluate each university in a novel manner – develop your own rating for the different aspects of a university, so based on what you think, not what has been said on the Internet. It’s always best to talk with at least two students to get a decent feel for what do University experience might be like.

All the top 10 of the same.. the next 20 or the same. And the next 20 are all in the same bracket in terms of excellence.

There isn't really a difference between a college rankged 3 and one ranked 25. You will get a world-class education at both