First the criteria would have to be established as to what institutions would be considered for inclusion in such a listing. But the idea itself has merit and value.
While the author's lists may be correct based on the selection constraints, they don't catch the more interesting extremes. For cheapest colleges, there are several free ones. Beyond that, there are the ones that actually pay students to attend. The military academies perhaps, or any doctoral program that offers students a full aid package including assistantships. For most expensive, a certain CA-approved school offers a program that costs upwards of $300,000 per 26 week term. (And they get all the students that they can handle.)
Interesting that of the 10 cheapest public schools 9 of them are in Nevada, Florida or Texas, states without personal income tax. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_without_personal_income_tax
It is also incorrect..... I paid less tuition than those prices for my daughter's state school here in Illinois. That was just last year so it is an updated price. Since her school has text-book rental that was worth another $500 per year (at least) in savings. However, having said that,m I find that southern schools are generally less expensive than northern schools (the high tax states). I have a friend that went to Auburn and her out of state tuition rate was only slightly higher than her home states in-state rate.
