azcoyote- I'd urge you to consider the tone of your response before submitting. I know that in my experience here on HSBBWeb, there have been countless situations where I've asked a question and not received an answer I was hoping for. In those situations, I wanted so badly to respond in a negative- and sometimes condescending- tone. But I took a step back and realized that not only are people just trying to give me honest help, but they probably have a strong leg to stand on with respect to their experience in the matter at hand.
With that being said, I am 23 years old, played college baseball and obtained a Master's degree from a school that most would consider to be an elite institution. I have parlayed that educational and athletic background into a "real world" job with which I am pleased. My experience indicates to me that while grad school may very well be more important in the grand scheme of things, a high-level undergraduate degree makes admission into said grad school a lot easier. And, as RJM indicated, alumni relations are immeasurably important much of the time.
I am in agreement with many of the responses here. Without knowing any more details in your particular situation, my gut tells me to attend either the JUCO or the SCAC top 20 program. But take that with a grain of salt because I don't feel as though that advice is appropriate due to the lack of other info required to make such a decision.