Tennessee got one step closer to a College Football Playoff berth on Saturday thanks to their 22-7 win over Texas A&M.

The Vols will remain firmly in the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings this week, but where exactly will Tennessee rank?

Well, that depends on how the committee views Tennessee’s win over Texas A&M.

The committee has been willing to jump through hoops to describe Alabama’s SEC wins, no matter who they’re against, as “quality wins.” (Especially that win over Mississippi State earlier this season.)

But they’ve been dismissive of Tennessee’s wins against teams like Auburn and Arkansas (because of those teams’ records — though Auburn is now 6-4 after a big win against Mississippi State this weekend).

It wouldn’t be a shock if they’re similarly dismissive of Tennessee’s win over Texas A&M in College Station (the Aggies are now 4-6).

But the committee may not have a choice but to give the Vols a little extra credit for the win at Kyle Field.

That’s because, as everyone is well aware, Tennessee was impacted by the nationwide flight grounding on Friday. The Vols didn’t arrive to their hotel in Texas until after midnight (eastern time) due to the flight issues. Tennessee’s entire Friday evening routine was disrupted, they had to travel late in the day after sitting around the airport for most of the afternoon, and then they had to cancel various meetings on Saturday morning.

“There’s so many things going on — the pilots who are communicating with the airlines, administration, communication with the conference,” said Vols head coach Josh Heupel after the win. “There were not a lot of answers until about 8.45 last night. And even then, with the schedule, I told the players we’ll figure it out when we land — based on what time we land.”

Despite that adversity, the Vols beat a talented Texas A&M team 22-7 (don’t let the record fool you — the Aggies have played hard this season and played some close games against good teams).

Can the committee really ignore the circumstances around this win for the Vols?

Nothing would surprise me, but they’re going to hear it from fans and media if they do.