VSiN Weekend Morning Line | August 1, 2026 | Hour 3

**SPEAKER_1** (0:09)
Welcome to the VSiN Weekend Morning Line on VSiN, the Sports Betting Network.

**Marc Malusis** (0:19)
It is the VSiN Weekend Morning Line, Marc Malusis with you right here on VSiN, the Sports Betting Network. Let's hit the progressive guest line right now. Let's welcome, go from East Coast out to the West Coast, Brock Vereen joins us. 97.1, the fan out in beautiful Los Angeles, California. Hey Brock, thanks for the time this morning. Certainly appreciate it.

**Brock Vereen** (0:38)
Thank you. I appreciate it as well. The Dodgers dropped one yesterday and I don't appreciate you highlighting that, but I'm willing to forgive.

**Marc Malusis** (0:48)
Well, I expect Yamamoto to bounce back tonight. I'll be honest with you, but, and it's, it's the Dodgers world, Brock, and it's everybody else when you look at Major League Baseball. So one loss doesn't get to define them. Let's talk a lot of things to get into with you, Brock, is let's talk a little bit about the Big Ten.
As we had, you know, media week and, you know, week zero right around the quarter. When you look at the complexion of the Big Ten here, Cignetti in Indiana, obviously change in Michigan. You look at the staple, the bread and butter, Jeremiah Smith and, and Julian Sayen and the Ohio State Buckeyes leading the marketplace. What's your take on Oregon teams out West, like USC and UCLA?

**Brock Vereen** (1:29)
Starting out West, I don't know if there is a coach in college football who is feeling more pressure than Lincoln Reilly at USC. One thing that happened with Indiana winning the championship in a historic turnaround over two years is there's no more excuses for anyone, right? Indiana won a national championship with a bunch of older experienced players, but players that nobody else wanted. And so you look at a program like USC, who has never even been to the CFP as Lincoln Reilly enters his fifth year, and people are rightfully willing to ask, okay, so what's your excuse? If they were able to do it at Indiana, what's your excuse? Every coach going forward is going to have a shorter leash, none shorter than Lincoln Reilly. If he does not win the CF, if when that would help, but if he does not make the CFP, he is gone. But I will say his quarterback, Jade Myava, if you are a betting man, I would put some money on him to win the Heisman because those are going to be fantastic odds. And the starting quarterback of USC and the starting quarterback under Lincoln Reilly is always going to be in the Heisman conversation. However, are they good enough to make it to the CFP? Still remains to be seen. Washington, in my opinion, has the most exciting player in college football in Daman Williams. He had an interesting off season, tried to transfer to LSU. Washington said, we're going to sue you. He said, just kidding, I'm coming back. So I don't know how much his teammates like him, but he is a hell of a football player. UCLA is hitting the reset button, but they're doing it with the right guy in Bob Chesney. I feel that they are good enough to make a bowl game. They have a favorable schedule and a hell of a head coach, but I think they are far away from national conversations, which leaves us with Oregon. And I'm going to be completely honest.
I'm off of the Oregon train. I have to see it to believe it. I understand that they have accomplished everything there is to accomplish outside of winning a national championship. But Dan Lanning is there to win a national championship. And Dante Moore is the probably the best quarterback in college football.
But until I see it, I just can't buy in anymore.
I understand that they're built from the trenches out. And that's exciting. I understand they have an SEC minded head coach and that's exciting. I feel there's a little left to be desired in the wide receiver room and in the running back depth. I would love to be wrong because Dan Lanning is an awesome dude in the limited time I've been able to talk to him. But I think I'm out on Oregon right now.

**Marc Malusis** (3:56)
Brock, I want to focus back in on USC and Lincoln Riley here.
You mentioned the pressure on Riley. Are you hearing it out there in Los Angeles in terms of the USC alum, the fan base that this hasn't been exactly what they expected when they brought him over from Oklahoma?

**Brock Vereen** (4:15)
You know, the beauty of being in LA is if you are having a lackluster year, there's so many other things to distract you, right? It was, it was the Lakers season and then it was the LeBron James. Where is he going to land? And then this whole Kawhi fiasco and then the Dodgers are rolling. So it's not going to be until mid October when hopefully the Dodgers three Peter world series that LA turns their attention to USC.