Doc's Sports has been a leader in the sports selection industry for well over four decades now, and we are off to another strong start this football season in both the college ranks and the pros. You do not stick around for 43 years in a highly-competitive industry such as this without doing something right, and a good deal of the credit goes to an expert team of handicappers that are among the best in their field. One of our top performers for the past eight years has been Raphael Esparza, who honed his skills as an expert handicapper during a long and illustrious career behind the counter of some of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas.

He was formally known as the Vegas Sports Informer during his rise through the ranks 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.

Since then, Raphael has remained hard at work expanding his relationships with some of the biggest and most influential insiders in Las Vegas. These industry professionals know the gaming industry inside and out, and he has been able to incorporate this "inside edge" into all the selections he releases.

The most unique aspect of his handicapping service is along with his Raphael's ability to provide winning picks for all the major sports, he also offers selection packages for sports such as the WNBA, horse racing, boxing, professional tennis and soccer leagues all around the globe. Recently, he has gone as far as offering picks for professional wrestling and high school football.

Awhile back, Doc's Sports decided to set up a weekly Q&A with Raphael to gain access to that Las Vegas "inside edge". Our goal is 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: Oregon, Alabama and Oklahoma all tumbled in the national rankings last week after getting upset, but which of these national powers should be able to climb back into the playoff picture for a national title by the end of the season?

RE: Of the three, I would have to think that Alabama has the best chance of working its way back into the playoff picture as long as the Tide keep winning the rest of their games. Oregon probably has the longest road back after suffering such a bad loss as a heavy home favorite. That loss could be hard to overcome in the voters' eyes even if the Ducks do run the table.

Doc's Sports: The Las Vegas sportsbooks have been cleaning up this season in the NFL, but what was the overall take like in Week 5 after some interesting results in the games?

RE : After a tremendous run in the first four weeks of NFL games, the law of averages finally caught up to the Las Vegas books this past week. The action on the early games slightly favored the betting public, but most of the money was lost on both San Diego and Denver covering with ease in their late Sunday afternoon games.

Doc's Sports : As we head into Week 6 of the NFL season, can you give us one or two matchups on the slate that have caught you eye as a possible solid play?

RE: The game at the top of my list would be the Cowboys on the road against Seattle. My expectation level for Dallas was extremely low before the new season got underway, but with each passing week this team continues to impress me more and more. The other matchup would be Sunday night's Giants at Eagles game. New York is another one of those surprise teams that have my attention right now after posting such a dismal start.

Doc's Sports: The top two favorites to win the AL Pennant this season went down in flames in three-game sweeps by both Baltimore and Kansas City in the ALDS. Looking ahead to the ALCS, which one of these upstarts do you have winning this best-of-seven showdown to earn a trip to this year's World Series?

RE: I definitely did not see this matchup coming down the pike, but if I have to go one way or the other I would have to lean towards Kansas City. The Royals are playing their best ball of the year at just the right time, and you should never underestimate the power of momentum, especially in the MLB postseason.

Doc's Sports : In one of your recent posts for your blog, Straight Bet Talk, you posted the 2014-15 NBA odds for projected win totals from Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas. Can you give us one of your top picks that is poised to go "over" its total as well as a team that should stay "under" its projected wins this season?

RE: As much as I hate saying this as a huge Chicago fan, I think the 55.5-game win total on the Bulls is a bit too high. If remains to be seen what this team will get out of Derek Rose this season as it may be a tad too optimistic. The two teams at the top of my NBA list to go "over" their win total would be Portland at 48.5 and the New Orleans Pelicans at 41.5. Both these teams are better than advertised and poised to finish much better than these projected totals.

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.