Things are starting to really heat up this football season in both the college ranks and the pros, and Doc's Sports has you covered with another round of successful picks for all the games. We are in our 43^rd year in the sports selection industry, and you don't stick around that long in this kind of competitive environment without doing something right. One of the biggest contributing factors to this unprecedented level of success has been the ability to surround ourselves with some of the top expert handicappers in the business. A valued member of Doc's winning team for the past eight years has been Raphael Esparza.

He honed his expert handicapping skills during a long and illustrious career behind the counter of some of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas. During that time he also became known as the Vegas Sports Informer during his climb to the prestigious position of Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement from the Las Vegas sportsbook industry in August of 2013.

Raphael has now made it his full-time job to develop and expand an already vast network of relationships in Las Vegas, and recently in New Orleans, with some of the biggest and most influential insiders in the sports betting industry today. These professionals know the gaming world inside and out, and he has been able to incorporate this "inside edge" into all the selections he releases.

The best thing about Raphael's unique approach to handicapping sports is his willingness to not only offer selection packages for all the major events and leagues but to dig deep into all the various action that sportsbooks post betting odds for such as the WNBA, horse racing, boxing, professional tennis and soccer leagues all around the globe. Recently, he has gone as far as to offer picks for professional wrestling, high school football and even political elections.

As part of an ongoing series, Doc's Sports sits down with Raphael for a weekly Q&A to gain direct access into the Las Vegas betting scene. His expert insight for some of the hottest trending topics in the sports betting industry today has proven to be invaluable to anyone who is serious about betting on sports. 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: This Tuesday night the initial rankings for this season's quest for a spot in the first-ever College Football Playoff will be released. Can you give us your top four teams heading into the month of November that should be competing in January for this season's national title?

RE: My top team in the nation is still the Mississippi State Bulldogs, and they have definitely earned the No. 1 ranking with their play. I would have to put Florida State in the second spot, even though there are probably at least half a dozen teams that could beat the Seminoles this year. My third team would be Alabama, considering who the Tide's only loss was to (Ole Miss), and in the final spot I would still go with Oregon now that the loss to Arizona is not looking as bad as it once did.

Doc's Sports : In past posts in your blog, Straight Bet Talk, you have provided readers with a weekly update on who is winning the battle between NFL bettors and the Las Vegas sportsbooks. What did the books' take look like on Tuesday morning after a few wild finishes in Week 8 of NFL season?

RE: I am still getting feedback from some of my Las Vegas sources on actual numbers, but my educated guess would be that the sportsbooks ended up in the black after the Cowboys' loss wiped out quite a bit of action when it came to carry-over parlays. I know that Las Vegas got off to a fast start on Sunday with Atlanta's early cover, and they cleaned up at the end of the day with Green Bay's lopsided loss to New Orleans. This would be the sixth time in the first eight weeks that the books in town have gotten the best of things in the NFL.

Doc's Sports: Moving on the Week 9 in the NFL, we have now reached the halfway point of the 2014 regular season, and this Sunday's slate features a rematch of last season's AFC Championship between Denver and New England. The Broncos won that game as home favorites, and this time around the sportsbooks have them listed as slight favorites on the road. In your expert opinion, which team gets the best of it come Sunday afternoon in Foxborough?

RE : I am still kind of surprised that Denver first opened as a three-point road favorite and second that the line has held steady with most of the books. I am not making this an official pick, but if the betting odds hold steady at three then I would go with New England as the home underdog.

Doc's Sports : Game 6 of this year's World Series will also take place on Tuesday night in Kansas City. San Francisco currently has the 3-2 edge in this best-of-seven affair, but in your book is it a foregone conclusion that Giants will go on to win their third MLB world title in the past five seasons?

RE: As long as Madison Bumgarner is not on the mound, the Royals are still very much in this series. If the Giants cannot find a way to wrap things up on Tuesday night, then the momentum for Wednesday's Game 7 would really shift in Kansas City's favor.

Doc's Sports: The biggest two-day event in graded stakes horse racing takes place this Friday and Saturday with the running of the Breeders Cup races at Santa Anita Park. The biggest race on the card would be the $5 Million Classic that wraps up Saturday's eight-race slate. Can you give us a couple of your early favorites for this highly-anticipated 1 ¼-mile event?

RE: California Chrome will draw some heavy action as a crowd favorite, but I think the devastating loss in the Belmont has taken something out of this horse. My personal pick for this race is Shared Belief. He is a big, strong colt that can easily handle the pace and distance of this race.

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.