Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: NFL playoffs, Ohio State-Notre Dame, Tyreek, Beck, Messi & lots more

GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JANUARY 12): 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 89th edition of your HB10:

1. NFL: Texans, Ravens first to advance in playoffs: It’s Wild-Card Weekend and King Sport’s’ Super Bowl Tournament already has pared from 14 teams to 12. Wheat: Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans advancing Saturday. Chaff: Pittsburgh Steelers and L.A. Chargers packing up for the season. Three more games today/Sunday and one Monday -- the Rams’ home game moved to Arizoan by the terrible wildfires -- will pare the field to a final eight.

2. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Hate the teams? Love the matchup? It’s a marquee CFP finale!: The College Football Playoff could not have dreamed up a better, bigger championship game for its first go at a 12-team playoff than Ohio State vs. Notre Dame a week from Monday in Atlanta. . The Fighting Irish advanced out of Miami’s Orange Bowl and Ohio State from the Cotton Bowl. Irish have won eight national titles -- but none since 1988 under Lou Holtz. Buckeyes have won six crowns, the most recent in 2014 under Urban Meyer. Plenty of fans love to hate both teams .... but it’s still a great final.

3. SOCCER: Messi, Inter Miami about to crank it up again: Lionel Messi’s schedule was too booked for him to be at the White House to personally accept a Presidential Medal of Freedom, but he’s making time for Inter Miami as it unfurls the new MLS season. Miami’s month-long preseason schedule opens next Saturday vs. Club America in Las Vegas. This season will see Miami competing in the FIFA Club World Cup and the Concacaf Champions Cup along with league play. Training camp opens Monday for what is expected to be Messi’s second and last full season with the club.

4. HURRICANES: UM lands Georgia QB transfer Beck. Problem solved?: Carson Beck is moving south from Georgia to Miami to (Canes hope) be the portal godsend Cam Ward was. But will he be? Beck fell out of favor with Bulldogs fans and had 12 interceptions (a lot) this season. Still a massive upgrade from Emory Williams. Meantime credit Canes women’s basketball with the assist for landing Beck. He’s been dating UM player Hanna Cavinder for the past several months.

5. DOLPHINS: Grier/McDaniel back, staff tweaked, Tyreek backtracks: Spate of after-season NFL: firings, but Dolphins GM Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel will be back as expectd after an 8-9 season due largely to Tua Tagovailoa missing six games. Two assistant were canned: Special-teams coach Danny Crossman and receivers guy Wes Welker. Meantime agent Drew Rosenhaus walked back the idea client Tyreek Hill wants out, despite his saying “I’m out, bro,” after the last game. (Tyreek tends to say silly things for attention, despite that being very un-captain-like.) Rosenhaus: “He’s committed to the Dolphins. He had an excellent meeting with Grier and McDaniel. He’s the last guy [the team] should worry about.”

6. WNBA: Shh. Debut week for ‘hidden league’ Unrivaled in Miami: Unirvaled, the WNBA’s 3-on-3 offseason league playing its inaugural season entirely in Miami, tips off with two games this coming Friday. League attracted most of the biggest name stars with the glaring exception of Caitlin Clark. Wish the six-team venture well but dubious about its format. Games are not in an arena but in a “custom-built facility” that seats only 850 at a studio in Medley, a Miami suburb. It’s tantamount to a made-for-TV production, a ‘hidden league.’

7. HEAT: Miami win 3rd straight on road; in L.A. next despite wildfires: Heat is 20-17 after a third straight road win, 119-98 at Portland Saturday behind Tyler Herro’s 32. Miami continues without Jimmy Butler, who’s on a seven-game team suspension after suggesting he wants out, with Miami now inviting trade offers but hearing little of interest. Heat are scheduled to play Monday at the Clippers and Wednesday at the Lakers -- both games still on as of Saturday night despite the ravaging L.A. wildfires.

8. PANTHERS: Champions lose to Boston as lull continues: Florida is 25-18 with Saturday’s 4-3 matinee home loss to rival Boston in OT. Cats had been 2-0 vs. Bruins this season after eliminating Boston in each of the past two postseason. Florida, i a bit of a lull at 3-5 across past eight games, returns to the ice Monday night in Philly.

9. TENNIS: Australia Open serves up season with first major: Tennis -- kids, that’s what folks did with a racket before pickleball -- opens its 2025 season with ts first major, the Australian Open, now underway. It’s another record purse as money paid for playing sports continues to crazy-catapult. Reigning champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are back to defend, each currently ranked No. 1 and the Aussie betting favorite again.

10. NFL: League shows love for England by sending it more lousy teams: NFL announced its three regular-season games in London in 2025 would be “hosted” by the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars, a trio of dregs with a combined 12-39 record this season. In a related story, Browns QB Deshaun Watson continues as America’s least sympathetic cursed athlete as karma does its thing. Watson, sued by dozens of women alleging sexual misconduct during massages, suffered another Achilles inurfy and may miss the entire ‘25 season.

THE LIST: DOLPHINS WHO WERE DRAFTED 13TH OVERALL: Miami drew the lucky No. 13 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Players drafted 13th in franchise history:

Year Pos. Player (Result)

2019 DT Christian Wilkins (5 yrs, 77 starts, 0 Pro Bowls)

2016 OT Laremy Tunsil (3 yrs, 44 starts, 0 PBs*)

1981 RB David Overstreet (1 yr, 0 starts)

1977 LB A.J. Duhe (8yr, 88 starts, DROY, 1 PB).

*Notes: Tunsil has made five Pro Bowls since trade to Houston Texans. Overstreet died in car accident following rookie year.

Other most recent stuff from me: Notre Dame wins Orange Bowl, CFP semi as Miami Hurricanes sink into ‘What if?’ // NFL Wild-Card playoff picks // Herald NFL Final 2024 QB Rankings // Loss, playoff elimination as Miami Dolphins’ half-century wait for relevance goes on // Previous HB10 // Poll Dance: Jimmy Butler // Aging star Jimmy Butler a victim of own selfish pride as his Miami Hear era nears sad end // Our Top 10 biggest Miami/South Florida sports stories of 2024 // Canes’ Larranaga lost heart for game in ‘new world’ cannibalizing college sports // Time for Heat to trade Jimmy Butler, say goodbye, move on if deal is right // It’s mountaintop to hinterlands for Miami Marlins’ new manager // 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: