Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Next to cry over CFP snub, Messi MVP, Dolphins-Jets, Belichick & more
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (DECEMBER 8): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Our Sunday Hot Button Top 10 notes column -- back after a week’s holiday -- brings you what’s on our minds, locally and nationally but from a Miami perspective and accentuating stuff that’s big, weird, damnable, funny or otherwise worth needling, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. Welcome to the 84th edition of your Sunday sports potpourri, the HB10:
1. DOLPHINS: No margin of error left in playoff chase, starting Sunday: As Aaron Rodgers and the Jets roll into Miami, Dolphins’ playoff hopes have scant margin of error left at 5-7 with five games left. Fins presently sit ninth in jockeying for seven AFC playoff spots and three wins off the current pace for a wild-card spot. Miami’s remaining schedule after today: At Texans, vs. 49ers, at Browns and at Jets. A sweep to finish 10-7 likely would be good enough for the postseason. A 4-1 finish to end 9-8 would be very iffy to doubtful.
2. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: 12-team playoff set today; will SMU or ‘Bama be out?: Will it be SMU or Alabama joining Miami on the just-missed list as the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is revealed today? Clemson’s 34-31 ACC Championship Game win over SMU Saturday awarded a CFP berth to the three-loss Tigers -- who only got into the conference title game after Miami lost at Syracuse.
3. HURRICANES: Nightmare end to season mirrored in recruiting dip: The season-ending loss at Syracuse cost the Canes a spot in the ACC Championship Game and (barring a miracle-surprise in Sunday’s announcement) a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff field. The news for UM hasn’t been great on the recruiting front, either. ESPN has Miami 15th in its latest Class of 2025 recruiting rankings, down from 13th. Mario Cristobal is trying to score his third straight top-10 class but will have work to do. Flips away from The U have included two four-star defenders Hylton Stubbs (to Florida) and Gavin NIx (to Oregon). Canes have also failed to sign any of the state of Florida’s top 25 prospects thus far.
4. INTER MIAMI: Messi wins MVP, gifted soft draw in Club World Cup: Draw for 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was held in Miami, opening match will be at Hard Rock Stadium and Inter Miami happened to get a favorable grouping. If you think FIFA wants Team Messi shining next summer, you may be right. That Inter Miami was chosen at all despite not winning the MSL Cup was controversial to some. Miami is fifth betting fave in 32-team event at +1200, trailing only Manchester City (+390), Real Madrid (450), Bayern Munich (750) and Chelsea (900). Miami with new coach Javier Mascherano is grouped sofftly with Palmeiras (+2600), Porto (3300) and Al Ahly (12000, the opening match). An Inter Miami run to quarterfinals is the realistic dream to help ofset club’s shocking early flameout in recent MLS Cup playoffs. Lionel Messi was voted MLS MVP (in a close vote), and Leo and Jordi Alba made MLS Best XI. Luis Suarez (21 goals) was deserving but missed.
5. PANTHERS: Florida is heating up the ice again: Stanley Cup champion Panthers are 17-11 after Saturday’s 3-1 home win over San Jose -- the Cats’ fifth in the past six games. Matthew Tkachuk scored two goals Saturday for his fourth consecutive multi-points game.
6. HEAT: Can Miami ignite an elusive winning streak? The Heat crept back up over .500 at 11-10 with Saturday’s homre win over Phoenix fueled by Bam Adebayo’s 25 points and Jimmy Butler’s 24. Miami is sixth in thre NBA East in a lackluster season at quarter mark and will be after its first three-game winning streak today at home vs. Cleveland.
7. NFL/COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Bill Belichick to ACC in North Carolina?: ESPN reported that the six-time Super Bowl winner with New England, out of coaching this season, wants back in and has spoken to North Carolina about its opening. Belichick, 72, would be the oldest head coach in FBS -- and a new challenge for Miami and the rest of the ACC. Might it really happen? If so, here’s guessing it’s a flexible contract to allow Belichick to be back in the NFL at the next ripe opportunity. Belichick’s 333 NFL coaching wins (regular season and playoffs) are only 14 behind Don Shula’s record 347.
8. MLS: L.A. Galaxy win record sixth Cup championship: L.A. Galaxy defeated the New York Red Bulls 2-1 Saturday to win a record sixth MLS Cup title and deny New York its first.. Should have been a dream matchup akin to this fall’s Dodgers-Yankees World Series. The problem? MLS’ biggest star, 2024 league MVP Lionel Messi, wasn’t playing for the title thanks to Inter Miami’s shocking first-round exit from the playoffs.
9. MONEY: Coco tops female athlete $$ list; Caitlin crashes top 10: Sportico.com issued a top 15 female athlete money ranking in combined salary/winnings and endorsements, and young tennis star Coco Gauff is No. 1 for 2024 at $30.4 million. WNBA rookie Cailtin Clark debuted ti3ed for ninth at $11 million. Notably, only four of the top 15 made more in winnings than endorsements, led by tennis’ Aryna Sabalenka. Also notable: These numbers are tiny relative to male athletes. There is progress in equal pay, but not yet nearly enough.
10. SOCCER: Wrexham phenomenon coming to U.S. ... in a bottle: Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham AFC, a then-obscure Welsh soccer club, in 2020. The team has succeeded and risen in the ranks (though still far from Man City/Chelsea territory). Now the celeb owners have bought Wrexham Lager, one of Britain’s oldest breweries, with immediate effect. Look for it now (or soon) at Total Wine and elsewhere across the States.
THE LIST: HIGHEST-SCORING HEAT SEASONS: Tyler Herro’s current 23.8 season scoring average for the Miami Heat has been exceeded by only two men in club history:
Player Times High (Season)
Dwyane Wade 7x 30.2 (2008-09)
LeBron James 4x 27.1 (2011-12, ‘13-14)
Other most recent stuff from me: NFL Week 14 picks // Ranking 9-3 Alabama over 10-2 Miami shows flaws in 12-team College Football Playoff // Herald NFL Week 13 QB Rankings // Epic embarrassment! Canes blow 21-point lead, ACC title hopes in loss at Syracuse // As Dolphins fall in Green Bay, narratives live on while playoff hopes all but die // It’s mountaintop to hinterlands for Miami Marlins’ new manager // Previous HB10 // Poll Dance: Tyson or Paul? // Tyson-Paul is ridiculous, a freak show. But we’ll watch // Messi, Inter Miami out in MLS playoffs’ first round a stunning disappointment // Cam Ward having Hurricanes’ best QB season ever, deserves Heisman // ‘Who is that guy?’ Dwyane Wade deserves immortality of statue -- iffy likeness or not // Pete Rose wasn’t perfect, but MLB’s endless lack of mercy followed him to grave // And my latest podcast:
This story was originally published December 8, 2024 at 9:45 AM.
