Longtime Lurker, very rare poster, but this thread is certainly worthy of it! As a Pride of the Southland alum, I am decidedly anti-Woo. It isn't part of the song.. the Osborne Brothers didn't sing it, the band doesn't "play" it. It would be my luck if the origins of the woo stem from the POTS (after all, we cannot sing the lyrics while we're playing, but could "woo" during the slight pause between notes).
BUT, people who sing the lyrics of the chorus along with the woo do not bother me near as much as those who only woo without singing the lyrics. People who woo without singing are either ignorant, lazy, or intentionally disrespecting "Rocky Top"... but they probably still consider themselves real fans, and likely think they even deserve a participation trophy. As another poster earlier referenced, all of Neyland singing "Rocky Top" in unison is much more powerful than the albeit louder "Woo" that only lasts for a second.