re: Are out of state colleges worth it?

In my experience working in the gulf coast in petrochem, you're mostly right. Although, I see the premium employers tend to prioritize top tier regional schools over other regional schools. McNeese and Lamar are ABET accredited Engineering schools too, but they don't make 100% of the top tier company's lists for recruiting, even in Texas and Louisiana.

The higher up the totem pole your school is in recognition and "rankings", the greater your chances, more opportunities there will be. There's not much difference in A&M and LSU in that regard in Texas and Louisiana, but that regional credit starts to fade outside of those states. All things considered, folks in Washington or Pennsylvania will opt for the top tier school candidate or they'll screen out the lower tier schools before even interviewing, LSU included.

I've never worked with an LSU engineer that I felt had an inferior education to mine. I've never met a bad U of Houston Cougar engineer. I've worked with and for many McNeese and Lamar grads. I'd put many of them over Georgia Tech, Rice, Texas, A&M, etc on a person by person basis. But interview screening is a different ballgame, fair or unfair.

So, I say all that to say, to the original post, go to the best school and alumni network you can all things equal or close to it. Maybe pay a premium, but be realistic with your expectations and future prospects.