It is that time of year again and Doc's Sports is more than ready to bring you another winning season in college football with a number of different selection packages to meet your specific needs. We are also gearing up for another big year in the NFL behind a team of expert handicappers that include the best in the business at what they do. Doc's Sports has been at the top of our game for over 43 years, and one of the shining stars on this team for the past eight years has been Raphael Esparza.

Raphael worked his way to the top of his profession during a long and illustrious career behind the counter of some of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas. At the pinnacle of his career when he was known as the Vegas Informer, he held the prestigious position of Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement a year ago.

He may be retired from the sportsbook industry, but Raphael has remained as busy as ever working with a network of some of the biggest and most influential insiders in Las Vegas. These professionals know the sports betting industry inside and out, and he has been able to make full use of this "inside edge" in all the selections he releases. Diversity is another trademark of his handicapping service with selections for all the major sports as well as the WNBA, horse racing, boxing, professional tennis and soccer leagues all around the globe.

To gain direct access to this inside view of the Las Vegas sportsbook scene, Doc's Sports conducts a weekly Q&A with Raphael to get his expert insight into some of the hottest trending topics in the sports betting industry today. We have found that there is no better source than someone that is a true "insider" in the undisputed sports gambling capital of the world. The following is this week's conversation.

Doc's Sports: The new college football season kicks things off this week with a couple of huge showdowns on the slate. Starting with Thursday's No. 21Texas A&M vs. No. 9 South Carolina matchup in the SEC, how do you see this game shaking out with the Gamecocks favored by double-digits with most of the Las Vegas books?

RE: I have some major question marks with the Aggies' offense, especially the passing game after losing Johnny Manziel and wide receiver Mike Evans. I also happen to think that South Carolina's defense is actually going to be better this season despite losing Jadeveon Clowney. This all adds up to a pretty dominating win for the Gamecocks in this contest.

Doc's Sports: One of the big head-to-head battles between preseason ranked teams on Saturday's schedule pits No. 14 Wisconsin against No.13 LSU as a five- point neutral-site underdog for this Big Ten-SEC clash. We know that the Badgers are your favorite to win the Big Ten this season, but do they come out of this inter-conference showdown with a win?

RE : This will be a huge test for the Badgers, who not only have high hopes to win the Big Ten this season but to make a run at the playoffs. I am sitting tight on this game at five points, but if the spread creeps up to 5.5 points, I would be really tempted to make a play on Wisconsin.

Doc's Sports : Our recent tour through the betting odds to win each of the NFL's eight divisions this season takes us to one final destination before the start of the regular season; the NFC East. Philadelphia is a slight favorite to win a second-straight division title, but which team do you have coming out on top?

RE: This is Philly's division to lose as the other three teams did not impress me at all in the preseason. The one caveat I would have is if the Eagles decide to trade Mark Sanchez to St. Louis. Nick Foles is coming off a great season at quarterback, but it remains to be seen if he can perform at such a high level this year.

Doc's Sports: One of the biggest events of the year in tennis got underway this week with opening-round action in the 2014 US Open. The men's side lost one of its top favorites when defending champ Rafael Nadal decided to rest his injured wrist, so which player takes his place as this year's US Open winner?

RE: With Nadal out of the picture, I would have to go with Andy Murray all the way to finals to win the title. My sleeper pick on the men's side would be John Isner. In a watered-down field he is more than capable of pulling-off the upset.

Doc's Sports : A little while back in your blog Straight Bet Talk you gave readers some insight into this year's WNBA Playoffs. Now that they are underway, which two teams will battle through the preliminary rounds to meet in this year's finals?

RE: It is hard to see anyone beating Phoenix at this point. The team chemistry is at an all-time high, and Brittany Griner is really starting to come into her own in this league. I would have to go with Atlanta in the East as the best all-around team, but the road team has dominated the series with Chicago, so you can't count the Sky out of the mix if it gets a deciding win tonight.

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 . Also be sure to follow him on Twitter @VSIDocsports.