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What's up, guys? Josh Payne here with an esteem 24-7 sports roundtable. We have got in no particular order, but starting with Chris Hummer because I forgot him two times ago. Chris Hummer is here, Bud Elliott is here, Blake Brockermeyer is here, Brendan Marcello is here, and we're at the midpoint of the season, guys. We did this at the beginning of the season.

Not much has changed if we're being real except for everything. And so we kind of decided we need to reconvene here. It's nice. It's early in the week. And we need to sort of figure out how things are going right now and how things are going to go. And I really wanted to be free flowing. And there's going to be a lot of audience participation. I can guarantee you in the comment section when we post this.

So let's just do this because this is what a lot of people are talking about right now. We'll start on a positive note. And I'll start with you, Bud, and let's just kind of go around any way we want to. The most surprising thing, whether it be a team or a player, just what has surprised you the most in maybe a positive way so far this year? Sure. For a positive way, let's go ahead and start with excessive Mel Tucker there at Michigan State. I was fairly high on this Michigan State team, but guys, I did not see them paying 7-0 at this point in the season. They've done a really good job with the transfer portal. They seem to have much better quarterback play than they have in the past. They're creating some explosive plays on offense. They've been fairly opportunistic on defense and on special teams. Thanks, Nebraska, for having terrible special teams there. But keeping it positive, really nice job by Mel Tucker. Their season win total was four and a half. And I thought they could probably threaten the bowl. I did not think they would be 7-0 this year. So big things happening so far in East Lansing.

You can argue they've been a little bit lucky at times, but hey, they've been lucky and good. Yeah, we're also looking at a situation now that people, I know, in the Upper Midwest, have kind of been peeped at with one eye for a while, but now it's almost here. I mean, if Michigan gets past Northwestern this week, we've got undefeated Michigan State,

undefeated Michigan, and it's on the same day as Penn State, Ohio State, which of course,

everyone in that part of the country and the country in general circles at the beginning of the year.

But I mean, like Brandon Marcello, we were talking this morning on our editorial meeting,

which was like 10 minutes ago real time, about how that could actually end up being the Big Ten's moment this year. Yeah, I think so, because that's the game. It's very competitive

and it's very clear cut. Like, wow, those are two really great teams and the winner is a legit

playoff contender. That changes things because Ohio State right now is easily the number one team in the Big Ten.

They look like they're destined for the playoff. But if we can get a contender against them of

some sort, at least in the eye of the nation now the Big Ten, all of a sudden, boy, things

start taking a different tone there. And you mentioned Michigan, Michigan State. Top 10

matchup between the two teams, so many great games between the two, but it's been a very long time, like half a century since both teams were in the top 10 when they met for the Paul Bonion trophy. So that's going to be a lot of fun to watch. Like you've had a lot of teams broken down, both on the good side and the bad side. What is the thing that has stood out to you the most in more a glowing positive sort of way?

Well, I would say, you know, kind of like we talked about, I mean, the teams that have really surprised me,

Oklahoma State is one that's really surprised me. I mean, I think, you know, they're 6 and 0. They've got a really good defense.

Their offense has done just enough each week to get

by and get a win they've got a pretty good special teams unit as well i mean that's been a unit

that that that or a team that's really surprised me this year you know both michigan and

michigan state have both surprised me this year. Wake Forest has been a really surprising team.

The meat of their schedule is coming up right about now.

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