We are less than a month into a brand new football season, and Doc’s Sports Service is off to another great start providing our loyal customers with a fantastic opportunity to cash in on the games. For well over four decades we have established a winning tradition as one of the premier selection companies in the sports gaming industry. A great deal of our success can be directly linked to our long-standing relationship with some of the best handicappers in the business. One of our top performers for the past seven years has been Raphael Esparza. He was originally known as the Vegas Sports Informer during a long and illustrious career working behind the counter for some of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas. Raphael has recently retired from the sportsbook industry, but he constantly keeps his ear to the ground while digging up inside information from a number of key contacts in town. It has been this insider’s edge that contributes heavily to a winning record for selections in a wide array of sports.

Doc’s Sports has been tapping into this insider’s betting edge by sitting down with Raphael on a weekly basis to gain insight into some of the hottest trending topics in the sports gaming industry today. He is living proof that working and living in the sports gambling capital of the world has helped separate him from the pack as one of the top handicappers in the business. The following is this week’s discussion.

Doc’s Sports: How heavy did the action end up being in town last week for the Mayweather vs. Alvarez fight?

RE: In all my years in Las Vegas, this was one of the most electrifying events that I have been a part of. The handle on this fight was huge as the whole thing ended up being a major cash cow not just for the sportsbooks, but for the town as a whole with some of the biggest crowds I have ever seen.

Doc’s Sports: The oddsmakers have nailed the total line in the first two weeks on the NFL regular season with 16 games going “over” and 16 staying “under” the closing line. Have you been on the plus side on your selections for the total line, or have you pretty much concentrated on just handicapping the sides?

RE: I love betting on totals, but right now the offenses in the league are so far ahead of the defenses that you are going to see lines hit 60 when teams like Philadelphia and Denver hook-up later in the year. This will make totals tougher to handicap as the oddsmakers keep adjusting to this changing pattern.

Doc’s Sports: Looking at Week 3’s opening lines for all 16 matchups in the NFL, are there any that have caught your eye as a possible solid play?

RE: There is nothing that has really grabbed my attention, but I am interested in Pittsburgh at Chicago to see if the Steelers are really that bad and if the Bears are really that good. The biggest question of the week in the NFL is how high can the spread go in the Jacksonville vs. Seattle game?

Doc’s Sports: Alabama got by Texas A&M last week in an unexpected shootout, but the final score raises some serious question marks for the Crimson Tide’s defense this season. Do you still think that Alabama is the best team in the nation?

RE: I was skeptical about Alabama’s defense before this game, and it was really exposed in this contest against both the pass and the run. I do not have them as my top team in the country right now as that honor would have to go to Oregon. There is no way that the Tide would be able to handle the Ducks’ overall team speed if the two powers met right now.

Doc’s Sports: There is not much fanfare surrounding this week’s college football slate with just one game between ranked teams, but can you give us a few matchups that have piqued your interest?

RE: My biggest game has Arizona State on the road against Stanford. After stealing a win last week against Wisconsin, the Sun Devils will be primed to pull off an even bigger upset this week. The other game that I will be watching is Utah at BYU in what is known as The Holy War. This will be the last time these two rivals will meet until the 2016 season, so bragging rights for a whole three years will be on the line this Saturday night.