Aggies eye championship glory, not just participation. Star tackle Trey Zuhn declares, "We didn't come here to just get to the playoffs; we came here to win it all."
Texas A&M isn't treating its first trip to the College Football Playoff like some feel-good milestone. Inside that locker room, it's business only.
The Aggies are officially in the 12-team CFP field and chasing their fourth national championship - and first since 1939 - after locking up a home playoff game at Kyle Field against the Miami Hurricanes.
While other programs spent Selection Sunday sweating every graphic on ESPN, A&M had a pretty good idea it would be in.
The only real question was who would be brave enough to walk into College Station in December.
Now they know.
And star left tackle Trey Zuhn III isn't interested in any "happy to be here" talk.
"It is an honor to be able to play in the playoffs and especially get another home game at Kyle Field, there's no better feeling than that," Zuhn said. "We didn't come here to just get to the playoffs; we came here to win it all, so that's our goal."
For seniors like Zuhn, the stakes are even higher.
Most players in his position have already played their final snap in their home stadium.
He gets one more run in front of the 12th Man, and he knows exactly what that means.
"It's just amazing because I get one more opportunity in Kyle Field and I'll never pass up on that opportunity," Zuhn said. "It means everything because this is our chance to go prove what A&M is and prove exactly what we want to go do, so we got to take it one game at a time and our goal is to win it all."
A&M will be doing it with an OC who already has one foot into his next dream job. Earlier in the week, offensive coordinator Collin Klein accepted the head coaching position at his alma mater, Kansas State. It's a massive opportunity, but unlike many coaching moves, it won’t rip him away from the Aggies' playoff run.
"It's awesome that we get to have him around and stick around for finishing this thing out," Zuhn said. "It’s a great opportunity for him, so we're happy for him."
So the script is set ... one more game in front of the 12th Man, a national title still on the table, and a roster that insists simply getting into the playoff was never the point.