If I create an options page there is then a URL that I can go to in order to edit the fields attached to the options page. If I add fields to a category then I there is an admin URL that allows me to go and edit the fields that I’ve attached to it. There is no admin URL to edit the the main archive page. For example if I create a custom post type of “product” which has an archive template of ‘archive-product.php’ there is no corresponding admin URL to edit that archive page.
I think that that having ACF automatically create an options page that is associated because you created fields attached to it is, well, completely reverse of what it does now. The locations that are available to select from are all real locations that exist before the fields are populated.
As far as the hook, no, there is no such hook in WP for “before loop” and others. Something like that would be theme dependent, along the lines of this: https://github.com/zamoose/themehookalliance/blob/master/tha-theme-hooks.php
