International and national university ranking exercises have attracted increasing criticism in recent years, as observers question the integrity of the methodologies employed, the influence of rankings on institutional decision making, and ultimately the utility of the exercise. At the same time, for stakeholders "per se" rankings can have beneficial effects, particularly in enhancing institutional recognition, attracting top faculty and researchers, as aids to student choice and decision-making, and stimulating program improvement. Another important effect--which has drawn scant attention in the literature to date--relates to the impact of rankings exercises in exposing unintended quality related inter-institutional anomalies within university ecosystems. In this study, the role of rankings in this regard are examined in the specific case of Brazil, through an investigation of regional inequities in that country's publicly funded federal university network.