Doc’s Sports Service has remained at top of the sports selection industry for over 42 years by providing our loyal customers with a steady stream of winning picks for all the major sports. This year’s college football season has proven to be extremely profitable, especially with our top plays of the week. A good deal of this ongoing success has been made possible by our commitment to surrounding ourselves with some of the best handicappers in the business. Over the last seven years with Doc’s, Raphael Esparza has risen through the ranks to become one of the ‘best of the best. He was formally known as the Vegas Sports Informer during a long and illustrious career working behind the counter of some of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas, including the position of Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria. Raphael recently retired from the sportsbook industry, but that does not mean he is not hard at work sourcing inside information from vast network of contacts in Las Vegas to aid in all of his current selections. This ‘insider’s edge’ has been one of his best tools for delivering winning picks for a wide array of sporting events.

Doc’s Sports has been tapping into this ‘insider’s edge’ through a series of weekly discussions with Raphael to uncover some valuable insight into the hottest trending topics in the sports gaming industry today. He continues to prove time and time again that working and living in the undisputed sports gambling capital of the world is a huge reason why he has become one of the top handicappers in the game.

Doc’s Sports: The Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks are coming off of huge victories that have them in prime position to claim the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences. Are Denver and Seattle your top two teams heading into the final four weeks of the NFL regular season?

RE:They would be the two teams at the top of my list as well. Seattle is the clear choice in the NFC as it is almost a lock to hold onto that No. 1 spot, and Denver has a pretty clear path to stay at the top of the AFC.

Doc’s Sports: Last week we talked about the NFC East, and you had Dallas coming out on top in a tight race. Turning to the jumbled NFC North, which team do you have winning this division?

RE: This whole division could hinge of the health of Aaron Rodgers’ shoulder. Green Bay is not that far back and could still make a run if he plays the last few games. However, if he remains out it’s Detroit’s title to lose.

Doc’s Sports: It is conference championship week in college football, and while everyone may be focused on the SEC and Big Ten title game, the most intriguing matchup could be Stanford on the road against Arizona State in the Pac-12 Championship. What are your thoughts on this matchup?

RE: Stanford already beat the Sun Devils in the regular season, and getting past the same team twice in one season is tough to do, especially on the road. I am staying away from Saturday’s game, but if I had to pick I would still take the Cardinal based primarily on the strength of their running game.

Doc’s Sports: The big event in college basketball this week is the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge with six games on Tuesday night and six more on Wednesday night. Which conference do see coming out on top in this year’s games?

RE:The Big Ten has won this event three times in the last four years with last season ending as a 6-6 draw, but I see the ACC squeaking out a win in this year’s competition. I like Syracuse, Duke and Georgia Tech to win at home on Tuesday night to help stake their conference the early lead. I also like Miami over Nebraska on the road on Wednesday in what could easily be the deciding game.

Doc’s Sports: We all know what a huge boxing fan you are, so can you give us an insider’s perspective on what the next really big fight in Las Vegas will be?

RE: I see the next really big fight in town being Canelo Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto. Manny Pacquiao likes to fight in Mexico, and unless Floyd Mayweather can put something big together he may wait until next September of November to get back into the ring.  

Click here to visit Raphael Esparza’s Insider’s Page at Doc’s Sports for more information on his amazingly-profitable sports handicapping picks. Also, get $60 worth of Esparza’s member’s picks absolutely free – no obligation, no sales people – you don’t even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit for any sport Esparza handicaps. Click here for $60 worth of free picks from Raphael Esparza. Follow him on Twitter at @VSIDocsports