We present a data-based perspective concerning recent (e.g., 2008) "Maclean's" magazine rankings of Canadian universities, including cluster analysis of the 2008 data. Canadian universities empirically resemble and relate to each other in a manner different from their formal classification and final rank ordering in the "Maclean's" system. Several pitfalls in ranking procedures, related to invalid and unreliable relationships among indices underlying the final ranks, are outlined, along with relevant findings from previous studies. In their present format, although they have become increasingly publicized and promoted, data based on the "Maclean's" system can seemingly be of only limited practical use to students. Perhaps more important, in our opinion, ranking exercises have unintended though potentially serious consequences for the intellectual and personal well-being of students.