GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND
1) It's SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7. For Le Batard Show faithful: Fans of ESPN's Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz Should Prepare For Another Change. 2) The Greg Cote Show podcast is now separately on Twitter and Instagram. Join us on both! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Stop the silly noise and give Tua time, More change coming to Le Batard Show, NFL Week 8 Pix 'n Fantasy results, Greg Cote Show podcast Episode 35 & more. 4) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.
Our newest Dolphins column: Stop the Silly Noise And Speculation. Give Dolphins' Tua Time And a Fair Chance.
G7: NO. 11 HURRICANES 44, AT NORTH CAROLINA STATE 41: Miami won last night to get to 6-1, but did not cover the 11-point line, which I predicted (see below). For my column off the game, visit Hurricanes Keep Beating Teams They Should (If Barely). Original post: Miami is coming off a bye. Uh oh. The Hurricanes are 0-4 in the Manny Diaz era coming off an off-week, and 0-5 with extra time including last season's bowl collapse. That's pertinent because this is no easy matchup: an ACC foe, with a winning record, on the road. It's another big-stage game for The U -- on ESPN in prime time (7:30) -- and another virtual must-win if Miami hopes to end up in the ACC Championship Game. Run the table and have a chance. Suffer a second conference loss and the likelihood plummets. (No. 1 Clemson at No. 4 Notre Dame Saturday will leave one unbeaten and the other with one loss, and unlikely for a second). Miami has beaten NC State twice in a row including 27-13 last year, also on the road. Canes and QB D'Eriq King are bolstered by the return from injury of TE Brevin Jordan, who is NFL-good. See Canes being able to pile up yards and points against Wolfpack defense giving up 34.2 points per game. Also, Miami catches a break because Wolfpack starting QB Devin Leary is out injured, one of three times this year UM has had such luck. Miami is where it is, knocking on the top-10 door, because it has taken care of business and not stumbled in games it ought to win. Here's another one of those. See The U flying home happy, but the 11-point betting line feels too big. My pick: Hurricanes, 30-20.
Other state FBS games this week (all others Saturday, chronologically):
South Florida (1-5) at Memphis ((3-2), noon: Homies a 17 1/2-point favorite to sink further Bulls' sorry season.
No. 8 Florida (3-1) vs. No 5 Georgia (4-1), 3:30 in Jacksonville: This annual neutral-site grudge match was the 'World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party,' pre-pandemic. Now it's just a really big game whose winner will claim the inside lane in the SEC East and a fair shot to reach the four-team College Football Playoff. Money on the Gators bet the line down a point; still, Bulldogs are a 3 1/2-point fave and given a 63.7 percent win-likelihood by ESPN's Football Power Index. Only 1-Clemson at 4-Notre Dame is a bigger game this college weekend, with Trevor Lawrence's COVID absence diminishing the luster but also making the outcome a much tougher call.
Pittsburgh (3-4) at Florida State (2-4), 4: Line opened with Pitt a 1 1/2-point favorite but swung to FSU by 2. I dunno about that. Seminoles not doing much this year to inspire that faith.
Western Kentucky (2-5) at FAU (2-1), 6: Owls a 6 1/2 point pick in the home nest, but that's down from an opening 9 1/2.
Off this week: UCF (4-2).
COVID-related cancellation: FIU (0-3) at UTEP (3-3). This was one of seven FBS games postponed or cancelled this week. Its been that kind of season for FIU. Spoke with coach Butch Davis at length this week for a column on this most trying season of his career. Find it directly below.
IN A PANDEMIC-BATTERED SEASON FOR FIU, BUTCH DAVIS' LOVE OF COACHING SURVIVES: The death of an assistant coach. Fourteen season-ending injuries. Four players opting out. COVID outbreaks. Postponed and canceled games. Butch Davis' love of coaching has survived it all. I caught up with Butch this week for a long conversation. This is his 40th season of coaching, and his most trying of any. For that column, please visit: In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives.
NFL WEEK 9 PICKS: BRADY VS. BREES, DOLPHINS-CARDINALS AND TUA 2.0 TOP MARQUEE: The Week 9 picks marquee is topped by our Saints-Bucs/Drew Brees-Tom Brady Game of the Week. Brees is questionable with a tender shoulder, but few are those who actually think he might not play. The Miami Dolphins take their three-game winning streak out to Arizona in another featured game for us, one that sets the stage for Tua Tagovailoa's first road start. We have only one outright upset this week, but it's a division game. This is (time flies yada yada yada) our 30th season of NFL picks in the Miami Herald, and thanks as always for joining us on the ride! For our Week 9 previews and picks for Fins-Cards, our Game of the Week, our Upset of the Week and all the rest of the 14-game slate, visit NFL Week 9 Gems. Our week got off to a mixed start Thursday night. We thought Green Bay would win on the road and it did. But we thought San Fran plus-6 would cover and it didn't. Our picks appear Thursday afternoons every week online, and Fridays in print, after the Thursday night pick appears separately Wednesdays online and Thursdays in print.
GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: EPISODE 35 OUT NOW: INCLUDES PREMIERE OF TUA TRIBUTE SONG!: Our Miami Herald podcast debuted in March and the new Episode 35 is out now! A new pod drops every Monday morning on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 35 we've done so far RIGHT HERE for free. Please listen, subscribe, rate and review. In new Ep35, myself and Chris dive deep into the first career NFL start of new Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa -- and Greg debuts his new tribute song! Also, a new 'Greg's Top 10' segment and Mount Gregmore -- the R's. Hear all that and more on the new Greg Cote Show podcast.
Other most recent columns: Dolphins Defense Makes It Easy For Tua In First NFL Start / Drama, Controversy, Torqued-Up Pressure: Welcome to Tua Week In Miami / Turner -- With COVID -- Joining Dodgers Celebration A Sadly Fitting End to Season / Dolphins Turning to Tua Now Is Risky -- But Right Move / and Heat, Marlins, Canes -- now Tua. Miserable 2020 Suddenly Great Time To Be Miami Fan.
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THE ARCHIVES:
Heat NBA Finals columns: Game 6--LeBron Reigns, But Credit Heat For Unexpected Run to Finals. Game 5--They're Alive! Butler, Heat Beat Lakers, Get to Game 6 In NBA FInals. Game 4--Lakers in 3-1 Command in NBA Finals, But Don't Write Off Heat Yet. Game 3--Jimmy Butler's 40 Gives Heat New Life in NBA Finals. Game 2--NBA Finals Slipping Away As Heat Lose Again. Game 1-- Riley Wants Heat to Beat LeBron So Bad, But Opening Loss a Reality Check.
Marlins postseason run columns: NLDS Game 3--Marlins Season Was A Miracle But Way It Ended Is Lesson On Work Still Ahead. Game 2--Marlins Fall Again, Join Heat On Brink Of Elimination. Game 1--Braves Homers, Bullpen Collapse Bury Marlins in NLDS Game 1. Columns from two wins over Cubs in wild-card round: Miracle Marlins Advance in NL Playoffs and Seventeen Years Out of Playoffs, Marlins Return in Style.
Select other recent columns: 'If I Die, I Die.' QB Cousins' Shamefully Cavalier Attitude On Pandemic / Boycott Of NBA Playoffs Shows Nation That Injustice Is Bigger Than Sports Right Now / Having Fans at Dolphins, Canes Games A Bad Idea And Big Risk / For Marlins, A Home Opener -- And First Place -- In Mid-August / As Panthers Move on From Tallon, Who's Next Miami Team Executive on Hot Seat? / 'Perfect Storm For Virus Transmission': Why Football Is Struggling to Lift Off / Marlins Delaying Home Opener For COVID Outbreak a Scary Lesson For All Sports / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. They Boy Was Me / It Took George Floyd To Finally Wake Up White America / Goodell's NFL Response to Floyd Killing Is Hypocrisy At Its Most Ironic / and George Floyd Is Why Kaepernick & Sports Must Continue Fight For Social Justice
Revisit this blog often because it updates regularly. The Associated Press Sports Editors writing awards ranked the blog's author a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Greg is also a regular on the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz on ESPN Radio. Finding Greg: Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. Columns. Podcast. Podcast on Twitter. Podcast on Instagram. LeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio) and The Ballad Of 1440 (video).
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