I can't believe no one has said U of I yet - University of Illinois. Lots of top-tier coders, from Marc Andreessen to Max Levchin, went there.
However, as with the case with all the other public schools (non-CA) mentioned so far, you will pay the out-of-state tuition rate. But you'd be at a very top tier CE school, as you saw on the U.S. News list.
I went to UIUC for CS undergrad and I can attest that it is a great program. And very difficult. I graduated near the top of my high school class, but I felt very average when compared with my peers in college. There are some very, very smart people in the CS curriculum at UIUC.
Another great thing about UIUC is the diversity. It likes to present itself as an engineering college (and rightly so, top 10 in many engineering disciplines), so it attracts many students from other technical areas around the world (India, Korea, China, Japan, Russia, Bulgaria, etc.). I'm plain old whitebread, but I was the only one in my study group for several years. It was a great chance to meet people from very different backgrounds.
Lastly, they just recently (2004) constructed the Siebel Center for Computer Science which is where they hold most/all of their CS classes. A very modern, high-tech building that can make any CS major drool. Not to mention the other buildings which surround it: NCSA, Beckman Institute, and Grainger Library (will become your 2nd home)
"... Another great thing about UIUC is the diversity ..."
This is the mark of a good learning ecosystem. One that supports diversity. Diversity means less of your "own kind". (by "own kind" I mean, same geo, monetary, political peers, etc) A greater chance to use and view different ideas. This is a real problem with "top" Universities who support and advertise meritocracy, but end up supporting mono-cultural ideals. This might be good if you want to pass school and work the system. It is bad if you want to succeed past school and subvert the system and become not only a good technician, practitioner (I avoid the professional lable) to become an Entrepreneur.
UIUC is a good suggestion. Undergrad admissions are not especially competitive, but their graduate CS department is one of the top 10 in the country, and that's bound to rub off on motivated undergrads.
I went to U of I and am pretty happy with the education there. It is generally very good in engineering so you'll be able to explore a lot within that discipline (I started in computer engineering, and finished in physics), and engage in some great research opportunities. I was in-state and the extremely affordable tuition is probably the biggest reason I went, though I doubt the out of state tuition is unreasonable. I'm not sure what it takes to get legal residency in Illinois, but if you plan carefully you might be able to get it after your first year.
And, you'll probably have a pretty decent social experience. Going to a Big 10 school with one of the largest greek systems in the country can be fun, even if you're not a big college sports or frat fan (and, who isn't a sorority fan?).
I spent last week at UIUC and I was very impressed -- nice campus, good facilities, pleasant location, low cost of living, and an awful lot of very good research going on. I'd definitely stick it on the list.
Last time I looked, UIUC was in the top 5 for CS and CE, and it'd surprise me if it wasn't in the top 10 still. I'd definitely recommend it, as it gives you a top-tier education at a middle-tier price (or low-tier price, if you can swing in-state tuition).
I'm at U of I right now (senior) and there are some smart people here. The ONLY thing its lacking is a spirit of entrepreneurship. Most of the cs people I know (in ACM especially) don't seem too interested in business, they just want to work for Microsoft R&D or something along those lines.
I want a startup. I have no doubts that I'll find others like me, especially from such a diverse and intelligent school.
However, as with the case with all the other public schools (non-CA) mentioned so far, you will pay the out-of-state tuition rate. But you'd be at a very top tier CE school, as you saw on the U.S. News list.