1) It's SUNDAY OCTOBER 20. Check out our 'Fins At 50' book at Amazon. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): NFL Week 7 picks, LeBron forgets who he is in China mess, Dolphins tank-on, NFL Week 6 Pix 'n Fantasy results & more. 3) Join us on Twitter.com/gregcote. Also on Facebook and Instagram.
My NFL Week 7 picks: Will the winless Dolphins cover the enormous point spread in Buffalo? Who'll prevail in our Game of the Week? Can we keep our Upset of the Week streak alive? Answers to all of that and more in the gridiron motherlode that is our NFL Week 7 Gems.
Our most recent columns: LeBron Follows Company Line On China After Career Devoted to Social Justice and No Sacrifice Too Great For Tanking-For-Tua Dolphins. Also: Another Dolphins Loss, But There was Fight And Heart This Time / Hurricanes Finally Get Quality Win -- And The Spark They Needed / Why Is NBA Doing Business With Human Rights-Violating China In First Place? / Now Or Never For Panthers To Stop Wasting The Barkov Years / and 'Culture' Isn't Enough. It'll Take These 5 Factors to Lift Miami Heat.
G7: GEORGIA TECH 28, HURRICANES 21 (OT): AWFUL HOME LOSS FOR CANES: My game column from stadium: Diaz Playing 'Rebuild' Card As Weak as Canes' Effort in Loss to Ga-Tech. Original post: We'll all be broiling for Saturday's noon start at Hard Rock as Miami (3-3 overall, 1-2 ACC) tries to build momentum off last week's nice home win over ranked Virginia. It better not should not be problem against a down Georgia Tech program that is 1-5 overall, 0-3 in the conference and an 18-point underdog here. This has the makings of a lopsided rout. I'd be surprised if it's still competitive in the second half. Tech is struggling under a new coach and its move to a pro-style offense. Gone are the days of that vaunted Yellow Jackets triple-option attack. Tech still runs the ball well, but run defense is UM's strength, and the Jackets have no passing game to speak of. Offensively the Hurricanes go with QB N'Kosi Perry (pictured) again as Jarren Williams continues to recover from a shoulder ailment -- but Miami figures to do most of its damage on the ground. Tech's run defense is abysmal, allowing 238 yards per game. DeeJay Dallas should be looking at this matchup like a big dog looks at a meaty bone. This game ends a rare five-game homestand for Miami. The schedule toughens from here, with four of the last five regular season games on the road starting next week at Pitt. So Canes seek a big win Saturday as a big sendoff. They should get it. Cote's pick: Hurricanes, 38-10.
CANESFAN SATISFACTION METER: G7 11.3%: Results are certified in the latest of the Miami Herald’s Canesfan Satisfaction Meter postgame polls, and they show an overall approval of 11.3 percent -- the combination of "very" and "somewhat" satisfied votes -- in the wake of Saturday afternoon's 28-21 overtime home loss to Georgia Tech putting the Hurricanes' season record at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in ACC conference play. That's the second-lowest number of the season. The CSM is your invitation after every Hurricanes game to vote on your overall satisfaction with the team and season in a continuing weekly gauge of how UM football fans are feeling. Criteria for voting is your own, but I suggest you consider the most recent game’s performance and caliber of opponent, the season as a whole, the program’s direction and your overall degree of optimism -- all in the context of reasonable expectations. Online voting determines the weekly verdict, which is final the morning after one full day of voting. In this case that was about 6:30 a.m. today/Monday.
2019 Canesfan Satisfaction Meter
G1: 64.1% following 24-20 loss vs. Florida in Orlando.
G2: 15.7% following 28-25 loss at North Carolina.
G3: 83.0% following 63-0 victory vs. Bethune-Cookman.
G4: 8.5% following 17-12 victory vs. Central Michigan.
G5: 28.8% following 42-35 loss vs. Virginia Tech.
G6: 82.0% following 17-9 victory vs. Virginia.
G7: 11.3% following 28-21 OT loss vs. Georgia Tech.
Next poll: Oct. 26 following game at Pitt.
Other state FBS games: FAU lost at home Friday to Marshall, 36-31. Saturday: No. 9 Florida beat South Carolina 38-27; South Florida lost at Navy 35-3; UCF beat East Carolina 41-28; FIU beat UTEP 32-17; and Florida State lost at Wake Forest 22-20.
Previous select recent columns: Riley Introduces Butler -- 'Cause the Heat Don't Tank / Why Dolphins, Even Epic-Bad, May be Closer to Major Turnaround Than Canes / Turning Its Back on Kaepernick Enters Year 3 As NFL's Ongoing Shame / Worst Miami Team Ever? Epic Losing Already Making Dolphins A National Joke / Quit Whining! Yes Dolphins Are Tanking, And Yes They Should / Dolphins' Ross Cannot Be Surprised By Major Fallout Over Trump Fundraiser / Le Batard on Miami Radio Turmoil: 'We Were Evicted' / Buoniconti: Hall of Famer, But Even Greater Off the Field / It Is Megan Rapinoe's World Cup -- On And Off The Field / An Era Ends As Panthers' Luongo Retires / O.J. Can Tweet What He Wants, But How He's Seen Is Not Up To Him / Ranking Dolphins, Heat, Marlins & Panthers' Best Young Players / Inter Miami Aiming High With Barca's Suarez / End The Illogical Shame and Honor Schnellenberger / Oh To Be Hated Again! Lean Times For Miami Sports / Why Tiger's Masters Triumph Is About More Than Golf / Transgender-Athlete Firestorm A Necessary Debate / Across the Rio Grande to the PGA Tour / From Dark and Empty to Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50.
APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing / Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose /NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering / What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.
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Twitter @gregcote
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