Precisely. They are not only number one, they were also extremely motivated to demolish us.
TRB, these same people who are talking crap about no moral victories are some of the same ones who would have been all over Kiffin and UT if we had lost the game by the 30-50 points that most predicted. Can you imagine the threads? I can.
We lost. You can never be pleased with a loss. However, you can build on one. You can take positives from a good showing on the road against arguably the best team in the country. Hell, our coach lost his job last season and we were playing the defending national champions. Everyone here knew that we weren't going to win this game, thus the lopsided predictions. But, we are attempting to build something special. And this game was an indication that we just might be on the right track.
As I've said before, it hardly matters what biased Joe Smo says on sectalk. It matters a little more what the media folks who get paid to be unbiased think. Pardon me, but the guys at espn, and cbssports, and usatoday, and the countless other media outlets who view us more favorably after the game should concern Vol fans much more. And even more importantly, it matters what talented recruits around the country think. Are we a program on the rise or not? My guess based on the game and our verbal commitments thus far is a resounding, "yes." Now, explain to me one more time, what's wrong with looking at things this way.