At least in that era, if you played ball control/field position football, exceptional defense, and outstanding special teams you could win ten(+) games a year. Additionally, you could win ACC titles and go to the Sugar and Orange bowls and be ranked in the top ten. That boring era of lots of wins still has us ranked to the top ten for wins nationally over the last two decades. Bottom line, we were good, nationally recognized, and we featured tailbacks. Easier to get them then.