In my opinion, choosing a lower branch at NIT Rourkela is better than choosing a good branch at CET BBSR. Whenever choosing a college, always give preference to the institute over the branch. This is because choosing a bad institute can limit your experience no matter how good the branch is. The poor faculty, infrastructure, and opportunities will affect your academics, and the ‘good branch’ will not come to your rescue.
On the contrary, an average branch but a good institute will provide more scope in terms of exposure and academics. The right guidance from an experienced faculty will provide opportunities even in a low branch. Moreover, one can never be certain of the right branch for themselves as they have limited knowledge of the courses taught.
So, it's wise to choose a lower branch at NIT Rourkela than to go for a better branch at CET BBSR.