1) It's FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8. Happy 90th birthday, Bobby Bowden! He hit the milestone Friday, and here's to many more for the FSU Seminoles living legend! 2) Check out our 'Fins At 50' book at Amazon. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Canes lose basketball opener, Dolphins in great draft shape despite win, NFL Pix 'n Fantasy Week 9 results, Canes football among top 150 games & more. 4) Join us on Twitter.com/gregcote. Also on Facebook and Instagram.
Latest column: Canes football program's pedigree, quantified: In a new list the Hurricanes have played in 11 of the greatest 150 games in college football history -- including four of the top six. That is the bar set by five national championships. That is the mountain Manny Daz and the current Canes are trying to climb. We caught up with the player who kicked open the door to the dynasty. To read the full column, visit The Player Who Started the Glory Days for Canes Football.
G10: @HURRICANES 52, LOUISVILLE 27: NO LETDOWN FOR CANES: Original post: Back home after the exhilarating 27-10 win over Florida State in Tallahassee, the Canes are at risk of a letdown in Saturday's 3:30 ACC meeting with Louisville at The Rock. Aside to Canes: At 5-4 you aren't good enough to take anybody lightly, especially a 5-3 Cardinals team against whom you are a somewhat modest 7-point home favorite. L'ville brings one of the most potent offenses Miami has yet faced, so Gregory Rousseau, Shaq Quarterman and friends better bring it on Senior Day, with bowl eligibility the reward for the winner. Two UM injuries of concern: Bubba Bolden lost for the season with a dumb ankle injury suffered celebrating an interception, and top tight end Brevin Jordan iffy to play. Miami's clear edges: The U's defense (at its best) is good enough to limit a good Cards attack, and, mostly, Louisville's defense is quite bad. Jarren Williams and crew should have a chance to go north of 30. Miami must win out and get some luck to still win the ACC Coastal. That starts here. Cote's pick: Hurricanes, 31-23. Watch for the latest Canesfan Satisfaction Meter postgame poll online right after today's game ends.
CANESFAN SATISFACTION METER: G10. 95.2%: Results are certified in the latest of the Miami Herald’s Canes Satisfaction Meter postgame polls, and they show a season-high 95.2 percent overall approval -- the combination of "very" and "somewhat" satisfied votes -- in the wake of Saturday's 52-27 home victory vs. Louisville putting the Hurricanes' season record at 6-4 overall and 4-3 in ACC conference play. 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 around 9:15 a.m. today/Monday.
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.
G8: 61.0% following 16-12 victory at Pitt.
G9: 91.8% following 27-10 victory at Florida State.
G10: 95.2% following 52-27 victory vs. Louisville.
Next poll: Nov. 23 following game vs. FIU.
Shula Bowl: @FAU 37, FIU 7: Davis vs. Kiffin in C-USA rivalry: Original post: Butch Davis' 5-4 Panthers and Lane Kiffin's 6-3 Owls renew their rivalry with FAU 4-1 in league play and still angling to reach the Conference USA title game. Owls are big 10 1/2-point favorites and should raise the 18th annual Shula Bowl trophy for the third year in a row, but I like the Butchers to keep it inside the fat bet-line. Cote's pick: FAU, 27-23.
Other state FBS games: South Florida lost 17-7 to Temple on Thursday, and UCF lost 34-31 to Tulsa on Friday. Today/Saturday, No. 10 Florida whipped Vanderbilt 56-0, and Florida State won at Boston College 38-31.
Bonus national pick: No. 2 LSU 46, @No. 3 Alabama 41: Original post: The Game of the Year (so far) is Saturday at 3:30 in Tuscaloosa. Both teams are 8-0, and the College Football Playoff and national championship picture sway with the result. (By the way, Trump is supposed to be at the game in a continuing effort to find a crowd that won't boo him). Crimson Tide are favored by 5 1/2, fueled by the home field edge and the sense 'Bama is just a little better beyond that. I agree. The wild card: Tide (and future Dolphins?) QB Tua Tagovailao, who is questionable with an ankle injury. Nick Saban calls it a game-time decision. My bet: Tua plays, but isn't 100 percent. On that basis: Cote's pick: Alabama, 31-27.
DOLPHINS-COLTS, GAME OF THE WEEK, BIG UPSETS: OUR NFL WEEK 10 PICKS: Off our record-setting 2018 season we've had a solid first half of our 29th year of NFL picks in the Miami Herald, including an 11-3 mark straight-up last week and 8-5-1 against the spread (led by Dolphins over Jets in our Upset of the Week; "Aawwk!"). Now we offer our Week 10 picks,including Dolphins at Colts, our Game of the Week (Seahawks-49ers), two sizable upsets and all the rest. So please visit the motherlode of prognostication that I like to call our NFL Week 10 Gems. Unfortunately our week got off to a disappointing start last night. We had the Chargers (-1) winning in Oakland 23-10. And they were winning, 24-10, very late, visions of a near perfect-score win dancing in my head. Then the Raiders scored with a minute left. Damn. Already past it. Let's rally!
Our other most recent work: Canes Lose Hoops Opener, But It's Fans Who Disappoint and Enjoy The Win, Miami. Here's Why Fins Still in Great Shape For Top Pick. Also: After Mocking And Tank-Talk, Dolphins And Flores Deserved This Day / Le Batard On Return To Air, Latest Event / Do Not Waver, Dolphins. It Must Be Tua! / and Disgraced Ref Donaghy Opens Up About Game-Fix Scandal.
LE BATARD RETURNS TO AIR COUNTDOWN CLOCK: Because I think it has the potential to at least mildly annoy Dan (always a noble goal), we present our "Le Batard Returns To Air!" countdown clock. After an extended absence Dan is to finally rejoin the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz on ESPN Radio this coming Monday, Nov. 11, at 10 a.m. Here's the time remaining until the national appetite is sated by the long-awaited return of Dan's dulcet tones:
Other select recent columns: Why Is NBA Doing Business With Human Rights-Violating China In First Place? / 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 / 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 / Inter Miami Aiming High With Barca's Suarez / End The Illogical Shame and Honor Schnellenberger / 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.
Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.
Twitter @gregcote
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