Not much we can do to control our US News rank. Their methodology isn't very fair to a school like Davis that's trying to grow, and it even changes some/most years so you can't directly compare trends.

The fact that we place in the top 20 out of public schools across many different rankings is the more significant stat to me.

USNews claims vaguely that it uses "algorithms" that are fair to all that it rates. But, then admits that such things as "reputation", etc. are based upon subjective reports from those that may well have a bias toward their own college (hence older universities win out-I.e. more reporters). Items like "student teacher ratio" are easily manipulated. Student diversity is not a criteria. Alumni "giving" is part of the equation when it has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of education. I could go on an on and many have done it better than me before. With all the UCs (except Berkeley and UCLA) its a roll of the dice year to year just like it is with the "top five." So I have to take some solace that Stanford is probably humiliated with It's #5 rating this year..