The other side of that is that PA, OH, NJ and VA are all within a short drive away for recruiting. Makes a big difference for seeing kids, getting them to your camp, getting them to come for an unofficial, etc.
CU being in the middle of the country and Colorado being a state with a great rep definitely helps the Buffs. But we're also really far for most recruits to be paying out of pocket to visit for a camp or unofficial. Plus, the recruiting budget his one of the larger ones by necessity because our coaches have to fly everywhere. The border states with some talent (AZ, UT and OK) are not drivable from Boulder for a recruiting trip. It was really good for CU that the NCAA didn't shut down participation by coaching staffs in out-of-state camps.