"I haven’t lobbied. I haven’t said a word … (but) we’re 8-1,” he said. “I’d like to see someone else go 8-1 in the SEC. This team can play with anyone.”

Fisher noted that the Aggies had won seven straight games and took a backhanded slap at Ohio State, saying that some teams haven’t played as many games as A&M has won in a row.

“If you want to pick the best four teams, we’re one of them,” he said.

The No. 5 Aggies (8-1) certainly made their case as they dominated the Volunteers (3-7) for nearly the entire game, battering them with a balanced offensive attack and throwing a second-half shutout.

The game started off about as poorly as humanly possible, with the Vols marching right down the field in just five plays and scoring a touchdown on a 33-yard pass from Harrison Bailey (6-6, 85 yards, 1 TD) to Jacob Warren. Just 2:32 into the game, the Aggies were down 7-0.

That would prove to be the low point of the game, as A&M would respond with a 75-yard drive of their own to tie the game. Quarterback Kellen Mond (26-32, 281 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) took command immediately, attacking a Tennessee defense intent on slowing down running back Isaiah Spiller. Mond completed all four of his passes for 53 yards and ran for another 16, including a 5-yard touchdown run.

The Aggies forced Tennessee to punt after three plays on their next possession after defensive end Tyree Johnson sacked Bailey and forced a fumble on 3rd and 3. A&M then took the ball down the field on a 12-play, 69-yard drive that was capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by Spiller.

Bailey had another fumble off of a sack on the next drive, and this time it was more costly. The freshman quarterback was hit by DeMarvin Leal as he prepared to throw and put the ball on the ground, with linebacker Andre White recovering at Tennessee’s 39. The Aggies moved the ball inside the Vols’ 10 before the drive stalled, but a Seth Small 23-yard field goal put A&M up 17-7.

Instead of folding, Tennessee came back for a score behind a new quarterback, sophomore J.T. Strout. The strong-armed Strout hit a diving Cedric Tillman for a 46-yard touchdown pass, narrowing the Aggie lead to 4 after the PAT was missed. But it was time for the Aggies to show resilience again, and they did. A&M essentially drained the remaining 4:09 off the clock, using 11 plays to go 75 yards and finished the drive with a 4-yard pass from Mond to Ainias Smith (4 catches, 29 yards, 1 TD; 8 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD).

A&M may have started decently, but they dominated the second half. Neither team scored in the third quarter, but A&M held the ball for 11:19 and outgained Tennessee 108-21. By the time the fourth quarter began, the Aggies were rolling and the Vols were gassed. A&M put the game well out of reach with a 13-play, 88-yard drive that took 7:06 and ended with a 1-yard run by Smith.

After a four-play Tennessee drive gave the Aggies the ball back quickly, the offense went on another long drive, consuming 5:09 to go 68 yards in 8 plays. Small hit again from 21, giving the Aggies a three-touchdown win. A&M ended up with 497 yards of total offense, including 216 on the ground, and held onto the ball for 44:09 — and a chance to make their case for the playoff.

“We should be in. That’s my pitch,” Mond said.

Fisher agreed. Strongly.

“We played a total team game,” he said. “People who know football know we’re a good football team.”