1. Gross vs. Net - if these are different, this means the fund has some kind of contract that limits the expense ratio. Since the gross ER is higher, you're effectively getting a discount on the actual fees. Which is a good thing for now, but usually the guarantees go away at some point, so you may be looking at slightly higher fees down the road.
2. .75% / .77% expense ratios are somewhat high, but are almost certainly not so high that you'd want to forgo the 401K entirely. At a high income, the tax benefits are very large, particularly considering that a 401K is not forever. So don't cut your nose off to spite your face here. May be worth looking at all of your investment options in the 401K - there may be some cheaper funds available than the target-date funds.
3. When you say your income is too high for a traditional IRA, how high are we talking? Certain aspects of your investments are going to be impacted if your income is very high, so if you can give us your income, you can get even more / better advice.
4. There are no income limits for a rollover - when you leave your employer, you can roll over to a traditional IRA of your choice with no tax consequences. Some 401Ks even allow in-service rollovers, which would allow you to get into better funds more immediately. Worth checking into, but don't hold your breath. (Edit to Add: In fact, there are no income limits for traditional IRAs at all - only for your ability to deduct contributions. That's a minor point, since we're specifically talking about a rollover and not new tIRA contributions, but more complete to point that out).
General investing order from MDM, which is good advice for most:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/investor-alley/investment-order/msg1333153/#msg1333153WHAT
0. Establish an emergency fund to your satisfaction
1. Contribute to your 401k up to any company match
2. Pay off any debts with interest rates ~5% or more above the 10-year Treasury note yield.
3. Max HSA
4. Max Traditional IRA or Roth (or backdoor Roth) based on income level
5. Max 401k (if 401k fees are lower than available in an IRA, or if you need the 401k deduction to be eligible for a tIRA, swap #4 and #5)
6. Fund mega backdoor Roth if applicable
7. Pay off any debts with interest rates ~3% or more above the 10-year Treasury note yield.
8. Invest in a taxable account with any extra.