would have the same level of success in this era of college football.

Honestly, I do believe the 1980s may have been the last era were people were still "innocent" about the game. Specifically believing that every DI-A (now DI-FBS) could end up winning a national championship (aka being crowned #1 in 1 of the 2 major polls; AP Poll and Coaches Poll). Once the BCA was formed, people started losing their innocence because the number of teams that could win a national championship started to get smaller.