While it's Tuesday's College Football Playoff rankings that could help shape Miami's postseason fate, the Hurricanes got a nice confidence boost Sunday when they rose to No. 2 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the Amway Coaches Poll.
The only team ahead of Miami in both those rankings? No. 1 Alabama.
Miami, ranked seventh in last week's CFP rankings, saw its stock rise Sunday after its 41-8 win over then-No. 3 Notre Dame, which is now ranked No. 9.
The CFP rankings, which are set to be released Tuesday, will undoubtedly look different and while the CFP committee does not take the AP Top 25 or Coaches Poll into consideration when determining its rankings, the significant jump Sunday could be an indication of what's to come.
For Miami, the No. 2 ranking in the AP Top 25 matches the highest ranking the program has had since October 2003. The Hurricanes reached the No. 3 spot in 2005, but have been largely out of the top five since.
The prime-time, nationally televised win over the Irish changed that and helped sparked the "Is 'The U' back?' conversation that always seems to surface when the Hurricanes are playing well.
Miami's players themselves are undecided on the answer to that question _ though they all acknowledge there is still a good amount of work to be done this season.
"The U is back. I don't think anybody can say we're not. I don't think we can get disrespected anymore," receiver Braxton Berrios said after the Notre Dame win. "We still have to play two teams and we still have to win the ACC championship. There is still a long road ahead but I don't think they can say it's a fluke anymore."
The other school of thought came from linebacker Shaquille Quarterman.
"We've got to get a ring first," Quarterman said.
