Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Canes-Irish, Dolphins open, Messi magic & more
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (AUGUST 31): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Canes-Irish, more Messi magic, Dolphins opening week and more. Welcome to the 116th edition of HB10, bringing you what’s on our minds from a Miami lens and accentuating stuff that’s big, weird, damnable, funny or worth needling as the sports week past pivots to the week ahead:
1. HURRICANES: Colossal! Miami-Notre Dame tonight an opener for the ages: No. 10 Canes vs. No. 6 Fighting Irish on Sunday night. The nation will be watching the crescendo of college Week 1. Hard Rock Stadium will be sonic-loud. By the rankings it will be Miami’s biggest season opener in more than 20 years, since 2004, when the No. 6 Miami hosted and beat No. 5 Florida State, 16-10. This one is QB Carson Beck’s Canes debut uncorking Mario Cristobal’s Year 4 opens -- with nothing less than the College Football Playoff the expectaton. Let’s bleepin’ go!
2. INTER MIAMI: Messi magic sees Miami into Leagues Cup title game: Inter Miami plays at Seattle Sounders tonight/Sunday in Leagues Cup title game, an all-MLS championship in the annual U.S. vs. Mexico tourney. Game has even betting odds. Top-three finish also earns Miami a ticket to play in 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup. Miami advanced as Lionel Messi’s two goals led a 3-1 home win over nemesis Orlando. “We are at a loss for words when it comes to discussing Leo,” said assistant coach Javier Morales. After Sunday Miami is off until MSL play resumes Sept. 13, but first Messi will play likely his final World Cup qualifying match ever on Argentine soil this coming Thursday vs. Venezuela.
3. DOLPHINS: Fins’ Opening Week feels like must-win at Indy: The Dolphins’ 60th season opens next Sunday at the Indianpolis Colts, and crazy as it sounds it feels like a must win as under-radar Miami begins a year of low expectations and must convince fan to be excited. The over/under on Fins wins is 7 1/2 off an 8-9 season, and playoffs are not in the forecast, but Miami has a soft first-half schedule so a fast start is needed. And that starts next Sunday vs. an even lower-ranked Colts team led by a recycled QB in Daniel Jones.
4. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Ohio State, LSU, FSU lead rollicking Week 1 Saturday: You wanted excitement? Immediate top-10 shakeup enough? No. 3 Ohio State handled No. 1 Texas and Arch Manning 14-7 as ESPN’s Lee Corso called it right in his broadcast farewell. No. 9 LSU upset No. 4 Clemson 17-10. And unranked (for now) Florida State stunned No. 8 Alabama 31-17. Big opening week already but the cherry on top awaits: No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami.
5. NFL: Parsons bombshell, fantasy, gambling ... King Sport is back!: NFL Week 1 kicks off this Thursday night with Cowboys at Eagles in an NFC East rivalry that has swung big to Philly -- as Dallas reels from Jerry Jones trading defensive star Micah Parsons to Green Bay for two first-rorund picks. But it’s the Sunday prime-time game that rivets attention as the Ravens visit the Bills in a battle of AFC favorites. Matter of fact Baltimore and Buffalo are co-faves to win the Super Bowl (per DraftKings) at +600 each. So title odds will re-shift fast. We’ll also have a keen eye on Lions at Packers in an NFC North duel, with the winner claiming an early inside lane as biggest NFC challenger to reigning-champ Eagles.
6. TENNIS: Gauff, Fritz lead American charge at U.S. Open midpoint: It’s the midpoint of the U.S. Open and the favorites are still in it, so let’s play, “Americans Still Standing.” (It’s a short game. Especially on the men’s side, where no American has won a major since Andy Roddick won this event in 2003.) Forty-seven U.S. players began the tournament; six remain alive into the fourth round. Only No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz remains on the men’s side. No. 3 Coco Gauff and No. 4 Jessica Pegula lead thr handful of American women still in it.
7. MARLINS: Playoffs and .500 are out. Can they hold onto 3rd?: Marlins are 64-72 but only 9-17 since briefly flirting with .500 and the wild-card chase entering Sunday’s game at the Mets in the midst of a 7-game road trip. The playoffs and .500 seem improbable, but can they at least stay ahead of the Braves for third place in the NL East? Outfielder Kyle Stowers. was named team MVP this week and catcher Agustín Ramírez nabbed rookie of the year in what seems yet another season of unfulfilled hopes building toward that never seems to arrive.
8. NASCAR: Larson, Hamlin out front as playoffs begin: The gentlemen start their engines Sunday/this evening at Darlington to begin the round-of-16 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, with the next three races whittling the field to 12 drivers. Joey Logano is among the 16-man qualifying field to defend his title, but betting favorites to emerge as ‘25 champion are Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin ahead of a bunched field at +400 each, with Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell and William Byron on their tail.
9. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Legend of Lee Corso had Miami ties: Lee Corso at age 90 made his ESPN College GameDay farewell Saturday at Ohio State and leaves the sport a living legend. Many don’t know that Corso, Illinois-born to Italian immigrants (back when America welcomed immigrants), had strong Miami ties. At 10 his family moved to Miami, and Corso played quarterback and cornerback at Miami Jackson High. He might’ve signed with UM but instead played football and baseball at Florida State, where his roommates were future actor Burt Reynolds and future Hurricanes baseball coach Ron Fraser. Miami didn’t forget you, Lee.
10. LOVE: Prop bets galore (of course) on Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding: Dozens of wedding-of-the-year prop bets are out there. Here’s a sampling from betonline.ag: Even-odds on before/after date of July 4. Location: Tennesse favored at 3-1. Bachelor/bacherlorette parties: Miami (!) at 4-1 is second for each behind fave Las Vegas. Honeymoon: Hawaii 2-1. Tayor’s dress: Chanel 10-1. Maid of honor: Abigail Anderson Lucier 3-1 (Taylor’s bestie, as all Swifties know. Duh.) Their first dance: Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One” 5-1. Taylor pregnant before 2027: 2-3. Greg Cote invited to wedding: 1.6 trillion-1.
THE LIST: HURRICANES’ TOP 10 VS. TOP 10 OPENERS: Sunday night marks only the fifth time in 89 football seasons the Miami Hurricanes have been a preseason Top 10 team in the Associated Press rankings and opened the season against another Top 10 team. That rarest of lists:
Year Opponent and result
1955 No. 9 Hurricanes lose 14-6 at No. 10 Georgia Tech
1984 No. 10 Miami upsets No. 1 Auburn 20-18 in Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium
1988 No. 8 Canes at home stun No. 1 Florida State, 31-0
2004 No. 6 UM at home beats No. 5 FSU, 16-10
2025: No. 10 Miami hosts No. 6 Notre Dame.
Other select most recent stuff from me: Old ghosts, new glory in play as Miami Hurricanes host Notre Dame in opener // Super Bowl to Dolphins to dregs: My annual NFL Team Rankings! // GCS 285 pod: Canes coach Mario Cristobal joins us // Previous HB10 // Poll Dance: Super Bowl winner // Dolphins will surprise doubters -- if Tua finally proves he’s the star they need him to be // Cristobal has ‘insatiable’ drive for new Hurricanes glory days, and he’s getting close // Like it or not, UFC & Dana White’s world domination tour just grew // Asked & answered: Solving 8 biggest questions in Miami sports today // Cowboys owner Jerry Jones still chasing glory -- and attention // This one goal for Dolphins and another for Hurricanes will define success or failure in 2025 // Why Miami staunchly remains a Football Town even as Dolphins and Canes disappoint // Strobe lights? Trajekt Arc? How Marlins’ trust in youth, player-development is paying off // Jalen Ramsey, now Asante Samuel drama = Dolphins mess at cornerback // Heat getting 3-point ace Powell a pickpocket-win for Riley // Champion Panthers keep revving this summer while Heat stays quiet // Dolphins’ gamble on Waller after Ramsey & Smith for Fitzpatrick was net loss // Inter Miami falls to PSG but won big to reach Club World Cup final 16 // Panthers celebrate as 1 of 4 South Florida sports dynasties -- with no end near // Major news on future of Dan Le Batard Show, Meadowlark Media, DraftKings // A tribute to Miami sports legend Jimmy Johnson as he retires from Fox TV // 15 years later, Dolphins Cancer Challenge is the life-saving legacy of Jim Mandich // And my latest podcast:
This story was originally published August 31, 2025 at 10:04 AM.
