season ranked #2 in the nation. Fulmer led the team to two victories over UNLV (62–3) and UCLA (35–20) to start the season. Similar to the previous season, the Vols' first setback came to the #4 Florida Gators, this time by a score of 35–29. The Vols rolled off four straight victories, including another victory for Fulmer over #7 Alabama. The Vols faced Memphis and were shocked by the Tigers by a score of 21–17. To close out the regular season, the Vols ran the table to finish 9–2. They faced the Northwestern Wildcats in the Citrus Bowl and won 48–28 to finish 10–2 and #9 in the final AP Poll. Fulmer led the team to consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 1971–1972 under Bill Battle. 1997 season Fulmer's Vols started the 1997 season #5 in the nation and eventually finished in uncharted territory. With Peyton Manning, the Vols started with two victories over Texas Tech (52–17) and UCLA (30–24). Once again, the #3 Florida Gators defeated the Vols 33–20 for the first setback of the year. The Volunteers did recover from the defeat and won out in the regular season to finish with a 10–1 record. The Volunteers qualified for the SEC Championship and faced off against the Auburn Tigers and won 30–29 for their first conference championship since 1990. The Vols played against #2 Nebraska with a potential National Championship at stake. However, the Vols fell 42–17 and finished with an 11–2 record and #7 in the final AP Poll. Despite the disappointing ending, Fulmer had brought the Volunteers to and sustained national prominence and greater things were on the horizon. 1998 season: National Championship Due to the loss of Peyton Manning to the NFL, the Vols might not have been as respected going into the 1998 season. However, Fulmer had a new quarterback ready to go in Tee Martin. The season started with a close 34–33 victory over the Donovan McNabb-led Syracuse Orangemen. Two weeks later, after years of defeat, the Vols finally overcame the #2 Florida Gators in a 20–17 overtime victory. The following game was a 42–7 victory over Houston. On October 3, the Vols survived a close game with the Auburn Tigers by a score of 17–9. Against the #7 Georgia Bulldogs in the next game, the Vols won 22–3. Fulmer continued his winning streak over Alabama with a 35–18 victory. After