Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: NFL sets Super Bowl, Fins’ new coach, Team Messi, more
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JANUARY 25): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: NFL’s Championship Sunday sets Super Bowl, Dolphins intro new head coach, Hurricanes all over top 100, Inter Miami rusty to open preseason, two to Cooperstown, Panthers, Heat and more. Welcome to 136th 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 sports week past pivots to the week ahead:
1. NFL: Championship Sunday sets matchup for 60th Super Bowl: No Cinderella in NFL’s final four, with every team having been at least this far since 2014. But is there a super team here? Let’s begin to find out as Patriots-at-Broncos and Rams-at-Seahawks decides the Super Bowl matchup for Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, Cal. Seattle is narrow betting pick over Rams and Pats, with Denver the longshot because of QB Bo Nix’s injury. (Psst. I see Broncos and Rams in the SB after a pair of upsets.)
2. DOLPHINS: Is new coach Hafley open-minded on Tua 2.0?: Mike McDaniel benching QB Tua Tagovailoa late this past season signaled to many the end of Tua’s time in Miami. Then McDaniel got fired. Now what? The Fins QB to start ’26 is, as new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan put it, “A huge question looming over the organization.” And new coach Jeff Hafley in his introduction seemed open to all options: To Tua, Quinn Ewers or “somebody not in the building.” New coach + new GM + QB flux = interesting, at least. Footnote: McDaniel gets hired to be the Chargers offensive coordinator and coach Justin Herbert, the QB Miami didn’t draft in order to take Tua.
3. HURRICANES: Top 100 list for ‘25 affirms why UM was national runnerup: Miami and coach Mario Cristobal still mired in a funk over the championship-game loss at home to Indiana, but minor solace comes in Canes landing seven on ESPN’s Top 100 list of best college football players from 2025 season, led by No. 2 overall DL Reuben Bain Jr. Others: 12-OT Francis Mauigoa, 26-WR Malachi Toney, 28-DE Akheem Mesidor, 37-DB Keionte Scott, 49-QB Carson Beck and 75-RB Mark Fletcher Jr. The guy Miami is angling for in the portal, Duke QB Darian Mensah, was 65th. No. 1? Indiana QB and NFL Draft-bound Fernando Mendoza, of course.
4. INTER MIAMI: Messi, MLS champs flat in 3-0 loss to open preseason: Tabloids are trying to tell us recently married son Brooklyn Beckham is feuding with parents David, the Inter Miami president, and Victoria. Wish the family well. Move on. Inter Miami opened its four-game preseason tour Saturday with a 3-0 loss to Alianza Lima in Peru. Rust was evident as Miami played its first match since winning MLS Cup Dec. 6. Champs’ next of four friendlies is Jan. 31 vs. Atletico Nacional in Colombia. Club opens MLS play Feb. 21 at L.A. FC and plays five straight roadies before the April 4 home christening of new Miami Freedom Park.
5. PANTHERS: Marchand magic returns as Cats heat up: Reigning NHL champ Florida is 27-23 and on a 5-2 roll with Saturday’s 4-3 OT win in Minnesota as Brad Marchand returned from injury with two goals including the game-winner. Matthew Tkachuk had his second assist in this third game of the season. The hockey game was played, although Saturday’s NBA game in Minneapolis was postponed over growing unrest in the city after a confrontation with federal immigration officers ended in a man being shot and killed.
6. HEAT: Miami cashes needed win at lousy Utah: Heat is 24-22 as Saturday’s 147-116 win in Utah followed a 3-6 lull that has Miami trying to escape play-in purgatory. Tyler Herro remained out injured but Bam Adebayo’s 26 points and Miami’s 19 3’s led the way. Team is back at it today/Sunday in Phoenix. Miami’s new-look upbeat offense had sputtered to 20th in NBA league in efficiency before Saturday’s needed show.
7. TENNIS: Gauff fights into Australian Open quarterfinals: Year’s first tennis major reaches its midpoint in Melbourne with world No. 1s Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka sailing into the quarterfinals. An Alacaraz-Jannik Sinner men’s final is expected as usual. Women’s side is thankfully less predictable. Top-ranked American Coco Gauff reached the quarters on Saturday with a tough three-set advance past 19th-seed Karolina Muchova.
8. MLB: Hall of Fame elects only two as first-timers fizzle: Cooperstown welcomes in only outfielders Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones to its 2026 class via traditional BBWAA voting. The eight first-time nominees fizzled, many receiving zero votes, and only pitcher Cole Hamels topping 30 percent to give any reasonable hope he might rise over time to the required 75 percent. Note from a voter: Be more selective who gets on the ballot, please. Raise the bar on a long career with two all-star nods.
9. UM HOOPS: Canes men looking good for NCAA tourney, women hoping: Canes men are 16-4 (5-2 ACC) after Saturday’s 85-76 win at Syracuse snapped a two-game skid. UM is dubiously still unranked but projected around a No. 8 seed for upcoming NCAA Tournament. Jai Lucas’ guys are back on the wood Wednesday vs. Stanford. Miami’s women are 11-8 (3-5 ACC), in a 1-4 slump and likely need a big finish to climb into the big tournament.
10. MARLINS: Fish pipeline robust as new season draws nearer: A spring training nears, MLB.com’s new Top 100 players list entering 2026 includes only one Marlin: LF Kyle Stowers at No. 68. But the website’s Top 100 prospects list has five from Miami: No. 22 LHP Thomas White (the top-rated lefty), 41-SS Aiva Arquette, 47-OF Owen Caissie (newly acquired in the Edward Cabrera trade), 51-LHP Robby Snelling and 70-C Joe Mack. [Quick aside: Perfect name for a catcher. Joe Mack.]
THE LIST: FINALISTS’ AFC, NFC TITLE-GAME HISTORIES: The AFC and NFC Championship Game histories of Sunday’s four participating teams:
No. Team W-L Previous
16th Patriots 11-4 2018
12th Rams 5-6 2021
11th Broncos 8-2 2015
4th Seahawks 3-0 2014
Note: New England’s 16th appearance ties Pittsburgh for most in AFC. Rams’ 12th is third-most in NFC behind San Francisco’s 19 and Dallas’ 14. Conference championship games have been held since 1970.
Other select most recent stuff from me: Dolphins’ new coach, GM take on 25 years of franchise torpor and a QB mess // NFL Championship Sunday playoff picks // Poll Dance: Super Bowl rooting interest // Canes title-game loss does not erase success of watershed season // Dolphins hire Jeff Hafley. Timing was bad. Is coach good? // Previous HB10 // In Hurricanes vs. Mendoza, Miami -- city and team -- will win it all // Canes’ tour de force now 1 home win over Indiana from new glory days // Flailing, failing Dolphins in latest reboot with McDaniel firing // Rams’ Stafford wins 1st season title in Herald’s 28th NFL QB rankings // Dolphins enter offseason with no answers at QB after loss at Patriots // Canes’ ‘violent, relentless’ defeat of Ohio State is Miami’s biggest win in 23 years // Step aside, other cities: Why 2026 in sports belongs to Miami // Stugotz signs major iHeart Media deal, but says not done with LeBatard Show // Canes stifle A&M with defense, advance in CFP to face Ohio State // R.I.P. George Mira, ‘The Matador,’ Hurricane football’s first true star // 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 // How Miami project -- and forgiveness -- helped Marc Buoniconti turn tragedy to triumph // Beloved cast member leaving Dan Le Batard Show // Barkov lost for season a mortal blow to Panthers’ 3-peat bid // Cristobal has ‘insatiable’ drive for new Hurricanes glory days, and he’s getting close // 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:
