The Miami Hurricanes landing atop the initial College Football Playoff rankings surprises nobody. The big question is whether they can hold that spot after this weekend's epic clash with Notre Dame.

Along with Utah and UCLA, Miami enters November undefeated, their 8-0 record giving them 12 straight wins in the regular season dating to last year. They've got the nation's No. 1 scoring offense and No. 2 total offense spearheaded by two Heisman hopefuls in ultra-accurate quarterback Darian Mensah and seemingly unstoppable receiver Malachi Toney.

With a 6-0 start to the conference schedule and the last three conference games at home, the Canes would appear to have a much easier path to the CFP than they needed last year, when they made mortal enemies of the Fighting Irish. The two will renew acquaintances after last year's season-setting thriller Saturday night, Nov. 7, in South Bend.

Miami has survived a pair of close calls in recent weeks, needing two overtimes and two favorable Hail Mary rulings to beat Florida State, and then sweating through two overturned onside-kick recoveries last week at North Carolina. The Canes' only game against a ranked team was another tight win at Wake Forest; a statement road win against Notre Dame would all but seal a second straight playoff spot.

Here's a look at how Miami fared in the Nov. 3 CFP rankings release:

College Football Playoff bracket: Who’s in, who’s out

As expected, Miami is the No. 1 team in the rankings. The ACC conference leader is followed by Georgia out of the SEC, undefeated Utah out of the Big 12 and the defending national champion Indiana, out of the Big Ten.

There are currently four other SEC teams in the top 12: Alabama, Kentucky, Texas and Ole Miss. There is one more Big Ten team (UCLA), one more Big 12 squad (BYU), Notre Dame and the Group of 5 representative, Boise State.

First-round byes

• No. 1 Miami

• No. 2 Georgia

• No. 3 Utah

• No. 4 Indiana

First-round CFP games

• No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Alabama

• No. 11 Notre Dame at No. 6 Kentucky

• No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 7 Texas

• No. 9 BYU at No. 8 UCLA

Latest CFP rankings

Here's a look at the full College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday, Nov. 3:

1. Georgia (7-1)

2. Utah (8-0)

3. Indiana (8-1)

4. Alabama (6-2)

5. Kentucky (7-1)

6. Texas (6-2)

7. UCLA (8-0)

8. BYU (7-1)

9. Ole Miss (6-2)

10. Notre Dame (7-1)

11. Ohio State (6-2)

12. Tennessee (6-2)

13. LSU (6-2)

14. Texas Tech (7-1)

15. Wake Forest (7-1)

16. Houston (6-2)

17. Missouri (6-2)

18. Iowa (6-2)

19. USC (7-2)

20. South Carolina (5-3)

21. Arizona (6-2)

22. Oregon (5-3)

23. Florida (5-3)

24. Boise State (7-1)

Miami's projected CFP opponent

The first CFP bracket has No. 1 Miami sitting out the first round of the playoff. They'd get to choose between the quarterfinal sites (the Peach Bowl is the only one on the East Coast, making that the most likely option) where they would play the winner of No. 8 UCLA vs. No. 9 BYU.

And, potentially, this would set up a semifinal matchup that would be a rematch of the last season's national title game. Indiana is the No. 4 seed and would face the winner of Alabama-Boise State.

How many teams are in 2026 College Football Playoff?

While the CFP has been cleared for expansion, this year the format will remain for 12 teams, the same as it's been since the 2024 season. The new 24-team field will be introduced in 2027.

How does the College Football Playoff work?

The champions of the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC all qualify automatically, as does the highest-ranking team from the Group of 6, regardless of whether they won their conference. The other seven spots will be at-large bids decided by the top teams in the final CFP rankings in December. Notre Dame also gets an automatic berth if it finishes in the No. 12 of the CFP rankings.

The top four teams in the rankings, regardless of whether they are conference champions, earn a bye in the first round. The other eight teams will face off at the home stadium of the higher-ranked team in the matchup.

The winners advance to the quarterfinals in the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl or Peach Bowl against teams that received first-round byes. The quarterfinal winners move on to either the Orange Bowl or Sugar Bowl, and the semifinal winners face off in the national championship game Jan. 25 in Las Vegas.

When do the next College Football Playoff rankings come out?

The next CFP rankings will come Tuesday, Nov. 10, with the final rankings revealed Sunday, Dec. 6 on ESPN. Here's the full schedule (all times Eastern):

• Nov. 10 (9 p.m.)

• Nov. 17 (9 p.m.)

• Nov. 24 (7:30 p.m.)

• Dec. 1 (7 p.m.)