Someone without the reputation may have received a little more slack in terms of people may have waited a bit longer to see if they really were that good but really any team that gets that far ahead in a game like this is going to be targetted. Probably almost best to just hold back your civ a bit so as not to draw attention but keep it setup well to grow quickly when needed.
In other words they're playing a great game of civ, not a very good political game though.
In other words they're playing a great game of civ, not a very good political game though.