Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Canes advance, Tua done, Jake Paul, Messi’s grass, more
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (DECEMBER 21): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Canes advance in CFP, Dolphins bench Tua, CFP down to final eight, Joshua decks Paul, Panthers, Heat and more. Welcome to the 131st 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: Miami stifles A&M in CFP, awaits Ohio State: The slight-underdog No. 10-ranked Hurricanes won at No. 7 Texas A&M, 10-3 Saturday, silencing the famed ‘12th Man’ crowd with dominant defense and late heroics from running backs Mark Fletcher and Malachi Toney, who scored the game’s lone touchdown. The defense had seven sacks, nine tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions by Bryce Fitzgerald including the game-clincher in the end zone. Miami’s win in its first College Football Playoff appearance advances UM to a Dec. 31 quarterfinal vs. No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
2. DOLPHINS: Ewers trial begins as hapless Fins quit on Tua: So the no-longer playoff hopeful Dolphins benched Tua Tagovailoa in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers, whose maiden NFL start is today vs. Cincinnati. Don’t expect much from Ewers, even vs. a subpar Bengals defense. Fins’ Mike McDaniel was silly to say he’s going with the QB who gives Miami “the best chance to win.” Not even sure the coach believes that. The change is an obvious popularity grab as support for Tua tanks. Anybody got an extra clue lying around? Because the Dolphins clearly don’t have one.
3. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: ‘Bama, Ole Miss, Oregon join UM in quarters: No. 9 Alabama got the CFP party started Friday night with a 34-24 victory by overcoming a 17-0 deficit to the No. 8 Sooners in Choke-lahoma. In the two far-less-dramatic Saturday games that followed Miami’s, No. 6 Ole Miss clobbered No. 11 Tulane 41-10 and No. 5 Oregon did the same to No. 12 James Madison, 51-34. Dear CFP: How ‘bout you give us the 12 best teams and leave out designated Cinderellas like Tulane and JMU? Other quarter matchups besides UM are all Jan. 1: Oregon vs. 4-Texas Tech in Miami’s Orange Bowl, Alabama vs. 1-Indiana in the Rose, and Ole Miss vs. 3-Georgia in the Sugar.
4. BOXING: Actual fighter Joshua KO’s Jake Paul in Miami: It might surprise only those delusional enough to have bet money on Jake Paul that the YouTube star-turned-self-declared boxer got his a-- kicked Friday night by Anthony Joshua, one of the greatest boxers of his generation, a two-time unified heavyweight champ and Olympic gold medalist. The mismatch held at the Heat’s arena in downtown Miami sent Paul to a local hospital with a jaw broken in two places after a sixth-round knockout. Maybe time to stop giving Paul credit for much beyond masterful self-promotion?
5. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Canes have second-longest odds of final 8: The College Football Playoff has pared from 12 teams to a surviving final eight -- and the Miami Hurricanes have the second-longest betting odds at +2200, per DraftKings’ updated reckoning. Only Ole Miss at +2500 is a bigger title longshot. Favorites are Ohio State (UM’s opponent) at +200 and Indiana at +320, followed by Georgia +475, Oregon +750, Texas Tech +800 and Alabama +1800.
6. PANTHERS: Blues cool hot Cats: Florida is 19-16 after Saturday night’s 6-2 home loss to the St. Louis Blues. That loss cooled a Cats squad that had won four in a row and seven of eight before that -- looking more like a two-time defending Stanley Cup champ. Panthers have four more games this month prior to the Jan. 2 NHL Winter Classic vs. the New York Rangers at Marlins Park. Request: Quit calling it an “outdoor game.” Roof open or not, it’s in a stadium.
7. HEAT: Just in time for Christmas, Miami gets cold: Tyler Herro is still out with a toe injury and Heat has lost six of its past seven to fall to 15-13 on the season ... play-in territory after a fast start. Starting at today/Sunday the Knicks, Miami has five games left this calendar year as it tries to get healthier and begin to mend a 5-9 record on the road.
8. CANES HOOPS: UM men lose player for season but knocking on Top 25 door: Canes men have lost reserve Marcus Allen for rest of season after a non-Hodgkins lymphoma diagnosis. Team is 10-2 under first-year coach Jai Lucas -- both losses to top-10 teams -- as it awaits its ACC opener Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh in the Gables. Next stop: Top 25. Canes women are 7-4, 1-1 in th ACC.
9. MARLINS: Shhh! Don’t wake the Marlins...: Miami Marlins have all but sat out the offseason signing frenzy thus far, making no deals that classify as notable or major. The good news: Haven’t dealt starting pitcher Edward Cabrera yet. The bad news: Haven’t added a bat yet (or two, or three) to one of MLB’s weakest offensive lineups.
10. INTER MIAMI: Club selling grass from stadium it’s leaving: Give the newly minted MLS Cup champs credit (or a bemused shake of the head, at least). They know how to make a buck, and squeeze every cent from the ongoing Messi Era. Now, as they prepare to christen new Miami Freedom Park in ‘26, the club is selling “O.G. Original Grass” souvenirs from Chase Stadium. Pieces of grass contained in key rings are $50, and in acrylic boxes from $200 to $750. So how much do you want a piece of turf quite possibly blessed by Lionel Messi’s own cleat!?
THE LIST: CFP HISTORY: This is the 12th season of the College Football Playoff era. Six schools have combined to win the first 11 CFP titles. The champions, with asterisk (*) indicating school is still alive for the 2025 championship:
Champions Seasons
3 Alabama (*) 2015, 2017, 2020
2 Ohio State (*) 2014, 2024
2 Clemson 2016, 2018
2 Georgia (*) 2021, 2022
1 LSU 2019
1 Michigan 2023
Other select most recent stuff from me: Canes stifle A&M with defense, advance in CFP to face Ohio State // NFL Week 16 picks // Rams-Seahawks Thursday pick // Updated Herald NFL QB Rankings // With Dolphins’ QB change, can Tua stll save his future in Miami? // Previous HB 10 // Poll Dance: Greatest Canes QB // R.I.P. George Mira, ‘The Matador,’ Hurricane football’s first true star // Irish eyes are crying, but CFP got t right with Canes over Notre Dame // Messi, Inter Miami win MLS Cup, crown 50 years of SoFla soccer // How Browns fan’s tragedy gave Bernie Kosar new life // Tortoise to hare, reinvention of Miami Heat an NBA marvel // NFL, Canes QB great Bernie Kosar in a fight for his life // How Miami project -- and forgiveness -- helped Marc Buoniconti turn tragedy to triumph // Beloved cast member leaving Dan Le Batard Show // Wounded, doubted but nobody’s underdog, champ Panthers win opener // Barkov lost for season a mortal blow to Panthers’ 3-peat bid // Super Bowl to Dolphins to dregs: My annual NFL Team Rankings! // Cristobal has ‘insatiable’ drive for new Hurricanes glory days, and he’s getting close // Heat getting 3-point ace Powell a pickpocket-win for Riley // Inter Miami falls to PSG but won big to reach Club World Cup final 16 // 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 life-saving legacy of Jim Mandich // And my latest podcast:
