Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Dolphins, Belichick, CFP, Heisman, Soto, Heat & more in latest HB10
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (DECEMBER 15): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Our Sunday Hot Button Top 10 notes column 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 85th edition of your Sunday sports potpourri, the HB10:
1. DOLPHINS: Must-win in Houston for playoff hopes; Ross sells piece of club: Miami entered NFL Week 15 tied for eighth in jockeying for seven AFC playoff spots, with only the Chiefs and Bills having clinched. It means near-zero margin for error Miami with four games left -- and means all but a must-win today. The Dolphins early in the week got at the forefront of the NFL now allowing private-equity ownership by selling 10 percent of the club in that direction. In other news, Miami cut Odell Beckham Jr., whose Fins career ends with nine catches for 55 yards and zero TDs. Thank you for your service, OBJ.
2. BILL BELICHICK: Is longtime Dolphins tormenter now an ACC roadblock for Canes?: If you’re a Miami sports fan, the thought has likely occurred. Belichick was a thorn in the Dolphins’ side for about two decades with Tom Brady. Now, as North Carolina’s new coach in the ACC, does that make Bill a new obstacle for Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes? Answer: Yes -- if Double-B succeeds on the level of hype and expectations. In the new CFP era you gotta be king of the ACC for a real shot at the 12-team playoff. This year UM was third behind Clemson and SMU and missed. Will UNC be the new challenge?
3. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Countdown 6 days ‘til CFP playoffs: Navy upset Army 31-13 on Saturday and the glut of silly-name consolation bowl games began. (Upcoming is Miami’s sad trip to Orlando for the Dec. 28 Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. Iowa State. “The plan is to still play,” Canes QB Cam Ward said this week. Let;’s see if that changes.) All that matters: the four first-round College Football Playoff games next Saturday: Indiana-Notre Dame, SMU-Penn State, Clemson-Texas and Tennessee -Ohio State, with opening byes for Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State. Betting favorites to win it all: Oregon at +350 and Texas +360 per Fan Duel.
4. HURRICANES: Ward’s Heisman dip latest casualty of UM’s bad finish: We knew the once 9-0 Canes losing two of the last three games cost them a shot at the ACC title and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Saturday we saw the collateral damage include QB Cam Ward in the Heisman Trophy voting. Colorado 2-way star Travis Hunter won as expected with Boise State TB Ashton Jeanty a close second, Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel third and Ward a distant fourth. Ward at 9-0 was the betting favorite in some sportsbooks.
5. HEAT: Miami warming up even as Butler trade rumors percolate: The Heat is 13-10 and on a four-game win streak as the still-young NBA season continues Monday in Detroit. Still, with Miami nobody’s threat to compete for the championship and the league trade deadline looming Feb. 7, speculation may only intensify over whether the Heat will deal Jimmy Butler before likely losing him for nothing in free agency next summer.
6. PANTHERS: Cup rematch vs. Edmonton next; Cats plot ‘outdoor’ game: Reigning champ Florida is 18-13 after a second straight loss Saturday night in Calgary. Next: Monday at Edmonton in the first rematch since the Cats beat the Oilers in seven games to win the Stanley Cup last summer. Meantime the Panthers are hoping to soon announce a first-ever (for them) “outdoor game” in Miami next season at Marlins Park. That’s “outdoor game” in quotes because it would be inside a stadium with a retractable roof. Still, thought that counts!
7. MARLINS: Mets’ Soto deal deepens Miami’s woes in NL East: Of course the New York Mets paid record money to sign coveted free agent slugger Juan Soto.. It had to be an NL East team, right? Miami’s division continues to spend-lights out while the dirt-cheap Marlins continue to insult their fans by not putting a financially competitive product on the field. Latest example: Trading away decent bat Jake Burger for prospects. New post-Soto World Series betting odds: Mets and Atlanta Braves tied for second-best after only the champion Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies tied for fifth best. Marlins? Tied for third from the bottom. Sad. Unprofessional.
8. NBA: Let’s all laugh as storied NBA Cup crowns second champion Tuesday: It was invented to goose tepid TV ratings and because an unnamed (here) Dubai airline sponsored it. But you know where the in-season NBA Cup tournament ranks on the prestige ladder? With a division title. Can you even name the NBA divisions? Hint: There are six, and nobody cares. Winning the NBA Cup is like being named Pro Bowl MVP, or leading spring training in hitting. The NBA Cup Final is Bucks-Thunder on Tuesday. Championship parade awaits?
9. NFL: With fantasy playoffs underway, does your team have a top-10 horse?: Fantasy football playoffs are underway this weekend for millions. Does your team enter riding one of the top-scoring players? Here were the top-10 regular season scoring leaders based on ESPN.com: 1. Ja’Marr Chase, 2. Lamar Jackson, 3. Saquon Barkley, 4. Josh Allen, 5. Joe Burrow, 6. Jalen Hurts, tie-7. Jayden Daniels and Baker Mayfield, 9. Derrick Henry, and 10. Alvin Kamara.
10. NEVIN SHAPIRO: Figure in past Hurricanes football scandal granted clemency: Shapiro, a convicted Ponzi schemer whose involvement as a Miami Hurricanes booster led to NCAA sanctions against the football program, was given clemency among hundreds granted by President Biden. Shapiro was sentenced in 2011 to 20 years in prison but had been on house confinement since 2020. He had victims of his actions hurt far worse than Canes fans, and I’ve written harshly about Shapiro in the past. But I won’t pile on. He did his time.
THE LIST: MLB’S BIGGEST CONTRACTS: Juan Soto’s made history this week. MLB contracts to surpass $350 million plateau:
Player, Team Money (Years)
Juan Soto, Yankees $765M (15)
Shoehei Ohtani, Dodgers $700M (10)
Mike Trout, Angels $426.5M (12)
Mookie Betts, Dodgers $365 (12)
Aaron Judge, Yankees $360M (9)
Manny Machado, Padres $350 (11)
Other most recent stuff from me: NFL Week 15 picks // Time for Heat to trade Jimmy Butler, say goodbye, move on if deal is right // Herald NFL Week 14 QB rankings // CFP snubs Canes, but Miami Dolphins keep playoff hope alive with win over Jets // Previous HB10 // Poll Dance: Favorite Sport to Watch // Epic embarrassment! Canes blow 21-point lead, ACC title hopes in loss at Syracuse // It’s mountaintop to hinterlands for Miami Marlins’ new manager // Tyson-Paul is ridiculous, a freak show. But we’ll watch // Messi, Inter Miami out in MLS playoffs’ first round a stunning disappointment // ‘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 15, 2024 at 9:54 AM.
