For openers, we have a brand that massively exceeds each of theirs. That is one aspect where they each realize they can lose further ground more easily than they can close the gap.
A second issue is that as a state flagship, we do have an advantage is we succeed due to the fact that many (residents of the state where we are the flagship) will align themselves with us even if they have no direct affiliation with the school. We can end up with far more non-alumni fans than they can.
Finally, I believe it shook them to the core a little more than twenty years ago (especially BC) when we nearly beat BC in what was expected to be a cupcake game (bakery is closed) and in our initial games as a member of the BE we split (won the home games, lost the road games) against Cuse and Pitt in our first two seasons as a member of the same conference. We caught up with them far more quickly than anyone would havce anticipated, leaving each to worry that not only were we in a position where we could pass them shortly, but also that our ceiling could be far above each of theirs.
I'm not sure how many from the initial eight years of the Rent are still engaged with the program but anyone who was there at that time did have the belief that we could become a serious player in the world of big time college football. I still believe that it is a possibility.