Projecting the College Football Playoff top 12 after Week 4 - ESPN

Is the U back?!

It's been a minute.

With Miami's win against rival Florida on Saturday night, the U — winners of five titles between 1983 and 2001 — made a case to be the top team in the country once again.

This is a program that hasn't won an ACC title since joining the league in 2004, and now the Canes have positioned themselves as not only the top playoff contender in the conference, but also as the top team in the country. It's still early, but statement wins are hard to come by, and Miami's résumé now includes wins against Notre Dame, a ranked South Florida and rival Florida.

The 13-member College Football Playoff selection committee doesn't release its first ranking until Nov. 4, but based on what each team has done to date, Miami is one of the few teams that has looked like the total package.

The list below is fluid — and will continue to be early in the season. Here's the latest prediction of what the selection committee's top 12 would look like if it were released today.

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Why they could be here: With wins against Notre Dame, South Florida and now rival Florida, Miami has the best combination of eye test and résumé. It didn't come easy against the Gators, but Miami's defense was stifling for the bulk of the game. The selection committee considers the intangibles that accompany a rivalry game and would acknowledge the difficulty of the win, even though Florida is struggling this year. As talented as Ohio State is, Miami now has a stronger case, given the Buckeyes' best win was against a Texas team that has since fallen out of the projected top 12. Miami has cemented itself as the ACC's top playoff contender — at least until it's decided on the field on Oct. 4 against Florida State.

Why