Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Perfection & playoffs end. Hurricanes, Messi losses a brutal 1-2 punch

GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (NOVEMBER 10): 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 81st edition of your Sunday sports-potpourri notes column, the HB10:

1. HURRICANES: No. 4 Canes unbeaten no more, fall to Ga-Tech: Atlanta, what did we do to deserve this? No. 4-ranked Miami flew to Atlanta 9-0 and sailing in a 10-point favorite but fell 28-23, to Georgia Tech. (No. 3 Georgia also lost, at Ole Miss.) Heisman-hunting Cam Ward threw for three TDs and topped 300 yards yet again but to no avail as UM’s defense was walloped for 271 yards rushing by the Yellow Jackets. Canes likely must win both remaining regular-season games to get in the ACC Championship Game and secure a place in the College Football Playoff.

2. INTER MIAMI: Thud! Herons’ magical regular season withers in stunning playoff exit: Atlanta, what did we do to deserve this 2.0? In a best-of-3 opening MLS playoff series tied 1-1, Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami faced a literal must-win at home vs. Atlanta United Saturday night ... and lost 3-2. Thud. Suddenly the Supporters’ Shield for best season record ever means little as the MLS Cup favorites fall far short. Miami had the better of play and Messi scored and yet the magical season ends as a stunning disappointment.

3. DOLPHINS: Heartbreakers & prime-time skid. Can Miami get lucky on MNF?: Can the poor Dolphins catch a bleepin’ break? They sit at 2-6 as one of the NFL’s major disappointments after winning 11 games in ‘23. They lose Tua Tagovailoa for four games to a concussion this year. They get him back and drop two straight on last-second field goals. Now they pack a 1-7 prime-time skid for the trip to L.A. to face a hot Rams squad Monday night. (Dolphins have also lost two straight on MNF.) Home dates with Raiders and Patriots follow, and three wins in a row would see Miami back in playoff chase. But that starts with the (lately) Not Yet Ready For Prime-Time Players finally showing up under the lights on Monday.

4. PANTHERS: Fire on ice! Champ Cats win seventh straight: The reigning NHL champions are punching the Stanley Cup Hangover theory in the teeth. Florida is 11-4 with seven straight wins after Saturday night’s comeback home victory over Philadelphia -- and now have three more in a row in the Sunrise barn. Sam Reinhart and his new contract are still scoring like a maniacs and Spencer Knight has fought through his trials and tribulations to be a solid backup in net (3-1 thus far) for Sergei Bobrovsky.

5. HEAT: Ouch. Miami slump continues, Butler injured: Miami tumbled to 3-5 with a third straight loss Friday night in Denver, and Jimmy Butler was out with an ankle injury after seven minutes. The Dwyane Wade Statue Curse? Heat continue in midst of a six-game road trip (tied for longest of season) and return to the court Sunday at Minnesota. Heat has used same five starters in all eight games, but Butler’s injury threatens that streak.

6. NASCAR: Blaney fave to go back-to-back for championship today: Ryan Blaney is +185 betting pick to win the NASCAR Cup season title for second straight year in today’s Championship 4 final in Phoenix. Other contenders are William Byron at +275, Joey Logano +300 and Tyler Reddick +330. Logano won in 2018 and ‘22; Byron and Reddick seek their first title. Nine drivers have won consecutively on 13 occasions, but none since Jimmie Johnson won a record five straight in 2006-10.

7. TENNIS: South Florida’s Coco Gauff scores big win in WTA Finals: American Coco Gauff of Delray Beach on Saturday won the WTA Finals for the first time by beating recent Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen,3-6, 6-4, 7-6 in Saudi Arabia. Gauff, 20, rallied from 2-0 and 5-3 down in the final set to be come the event’s youngest winner since Maria Sharapova in 2004, the year Gauff was born. She also is the first U.S. champ since Serena Williams in 2014. This marks Gauff’s second-biggest career trophy after winning a major in the 2023 U.S. Open.

8. CANES HOOPS: When the soft openings turn hard. Circle the dates: Miami Hurricanes men won their opener and have four more softball foes lined up before the schedule becomes a true test. Circle the three-game home stretch vs. No. 16 Arkansas Dec. 3, Clemson Dec. 7 in the ACC opener, and No. 12 Tennessee Dec. 10. Similar for Canes women, although they sneak in an early marquee game at Florida Nov. 16.

9. SOCCER: Orlando, K.C. get jump in NWSL playoffs, advance with wins: Orlando Pride beat Chicago Red Stars 4-1 Friday and K.C. Current topped North Carolina Courage 1-0 Saturday to advance with single-elimination quarterfinal wins as the NWSL playoffs got underway. The final four will be completed today as Washington Spirit face Bay FC and Gotham FC plays Portland Thorns. Portland s a three-time league champ, last in 2022. Gotham is reigning champ.

10. DEATHS: Don Bosseler may have been first great in Hurricanes football: What happened some 70 years ago is of too little concern to most of us, so it bears noting that Don Bosseler died at 88 this week. “Bull” Bosseler was a four-year Miami starter at fullback and a 1956 All-American who led the Hurricanes to a No. 6 national ranking - school’s best-ever at the time. Years ahead of the likes of Ted Hendricks, Jim Otto and George Mira -- Bosseler may have been UM’s first big football star, a College Football Hall of Famer and first-round draft pick who played eight NFL seasons. Remembered. R.I.P.

THE LIST: MOST NASCAR SEASON TITLES: NASCAR crowned its first season champ in 1949 and will celebrate its latest today in Phoenix. Drivers who have won the most season titles:

No. Driver (Championship span)

7 Richard Petty (1964-1979)

7 Dale Earnhardt (1980-1994)

7 Jimmie Johnson (2006-16)

4 Jeff Gordon (1995-2001)

3 Five tied

Note: Drivers tied with three titles are Lee Petty (1954-59), David Pearson (1966-69), Cale Yarborough (1976-78), Darrell Waltrip (1981-85) and Tony Stewart (2002-11).

Other most recent stuff from me: Messi, Inter Miami out in MLS playoffs’ first round a stunning disappointment // Unbeaten no more: Miracle comebacks run out as No. 4 Hurricanes fall at Georgia Tech // NFL Week 10 picks // Herald NFL Week 9 QB Rankings // Cam Ward having Hurricanes’ best QB season ever, deserves Heisman // No points for ‘good try’: Buffalo curse lives on as Dolphins lose, 30-27, fall to 2-6 // Previous HB10 // Poll Dance: Dwyane Wade Statue // Cristobal’s No. 5 Canes stay unbeaten, crush Duke and ex-coach Diaz, 53-31 // ‘Who is that guy?’ Dwyane Wade deserves immortality of statue -- iffy likeness or not // Onus on Messi to make Miami MLS champs. Historic first playoff win a good start // Pete Rose wasn’t perfect, but MLB’s endless lack of mercy followed him to grave // Book it! Miami Hurricanes will vie for ACC title, make playoff in huge return to power // Jazz trade continues Miami Marlins’ losing cycle of talent-for-prospects cost cutting // And my latest podcast: