A new season of football is underway, and Doc's Sports is already off to a fast start with its Week 1 selections for the college ranks. We have been at this game for over 43 years, and you do not stick around that long in this business without doing something right. One of the keys to our long-term success has been a team of expert sports handicappers that are among some of the best in the country. One of those experts is Raphael Esparza, who has been with Doc's for over eight years.

He worked his way to the top of the ranks during a long and illustrious career behind the counter of some of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas. Formally known as the Vegas Informer, he once held the prestigious position of Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement a little over a year ago.

Raphael is no longer working in the sportsbook industry, but he continues to work hard at developing 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 one of the secrets to his success is the ability to use this "inside edge" in all the selections he releases. Diversity is another successful aspect 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.

Doc's Sports has been fortunate to gain its own access to the Las Vegas betting scene through 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: A few of the top favorites had their hands full in Week 1 of the college football season, and there were some shocking upsets along the way. Can you give us a few of your biggest takeaways from the opening round of games?

RE: I was really impressed with both Texas A&M and Texas-San Antonio in both of their opening-day upsets, but the team at the top of my list was USC. I expected the Trojans to come out flat amidst all of the off-field distractions, but that offense was firing on all cylinders behind quarterback Cody Kessler in their rout of Fresno State.

Doc's Sports: Speaking of USC, the No. 15 Trojans head to Stanford this Saturday for a huge Pac-12 showdown against the No.11 Cardinal. Which of these two conference powers comes away with the straight up win in this early-season clash?

RE : From what I saw last week, I would have to go with USC. The Trojans have all the momentum in the world and, granted that last week's win was against a mid-major program, if they play at that level again they will win this game.

Doc's Sports : The Seattle Seahawks are favored by just about every sportbook in Las Vegas to repeat as Super Bowl champs, but do you have them covering as favorites at home on Thursday night against Green Bay?

RE: I have never really been sold on Seattle's offense, and it may actually have to score some points in this one to keep pace with Green Bay. I'll probably stay away from this one, but the spread is already starting to inch higher towards that six-point mark, which could pique my interest as we get closer to game time.

Doc's Sports: There are a number of great games on Week 1's slate in the NFL, including five divisional matchups. Can you give us one or two favorites that you are putting on your upset alert list this week?

RE: My top pick would be Atlanta as an underdog at home against the Saints. New Orleans has never been a really good road team to bet on, and with Drew Brees starting the season less than 100 percent there is a good chance that the Falcons get off to a strong start with the straight up win.

Doc's Sports : You mentioned in your blog Straight Bet Talk that the Las Vegas books "made some coin" this past weekend on the college games. Can you give us an idea how this year's Week 1 take compared to other opening day weekends for college football?

RE: The books definitely came out ahead, but the overall ticket count was relatively flat as compared to the past few years. While the overall money bet remained basically the same, it would have been a much bigger take if LSU covered since there was quite a bit of action on Wisconsin plus the four points.

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.