Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 11/15/2016

by Doc's Sports - 11/15/2016

In one of the wildest college football Saturdays in quite some time, three of the top four teams in the current College Football Playoff rankings went down in defeat to completely turn this season's playoff picture upside down. In this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza, we will get his take on which four teams he is now betting on to compete for a national title this season.

Raphael rose through the ranks to become one of the top sports handicappers in the nation around the same time he began his climb through the ranks of the Las Vegas sportsbook industry all the way to the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria. The former Vegas Sports Informer retired from that position in 2013 to devote all of his time running a very successful and diverse sports investment service from his home base in Las Vegas as well as from the Big Easy in New Orleans. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: The underdogs made another strong run in Week 10 of the NFL season led by Seattle's stunning upset on the road against New England. Did these results reverse a rare two-week losing trend by the Las Vegas sportsbooks against the betting public?

RE: Suffice to say, Las Vegas books made a good chunk of the money they lost the previous two weeks back with this past week's results. The biggest loss for bettors was on New England, but the books also cleaned up on Green Bay losing straight up and Arizona failing to cover.

Doc's Sports: One of the biggest NFL futures bets right now opens up the discussion as to which Dallas Cowboys' first-year player should win this season's Offensive Rookie of the Year; quarterback Dak Prescott or running back Ezekiel Elliott. Both are heavily responsible for their team's unexpected 8-1 start, but which player do you have winning this futures bet?

RE: What there really should be is group MVP award for the Cowboys' offensive line, which deserves most of the credit for each player's early success. If I have to choose between the two, I would put Prescott at 1A and Elliott at 1B in a race that is still too close to call.

Doc's Sports : The college football world was turned upside down this past Saturday with No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Washington all going down in defeat. We all agree that Alabama is still the top team in the nation, but which teams do you have filling in the other three sports in the College Football Playoff rankings in light of these upsets?

RE: I would put Ohio State back into the top four spots at No. 2 followed by Michigan and Clemson. Louisville would probably be next at fifth, and I would still keep Washington in the mix if it can win out. I would also still keep an eye on Wisconsin in the Big Ten if the Badgers can somehow win the conference title game. You could also factor in the winner of this Saturday's Oklahoma vs. West Virginia game out of the Big 12 in a race that probably will not be decided until early December.

Doc's Sports : The new college basketball season got underway this past Friday. Can you give us one or two of your top insider handicapping tips when it comes to betting on games this early in the season?

RE: At the beginning of any new basketball season I am looking for the teams that have some hidden talent throughout the roster that could draw some soft lines from the oddsmakers. As the season wears on this talent will rise to the surface, but right now teams that are not perceived to be all that deep tend to remain under the radar. Off the top of my head, three that come to mind this season would be Gonzaga, Purdue and Rhode Island.

Doc's Sports: NASCAR's 2016 Sprint Cup title comes down to one final race this Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and six-time champ Jimmie Johnson and last season's winner Kyle Busch highlight the list of the four drivers still in contention for the title along with Joey Logano and Carl Edwards. Of the four, which driver would be your top bet to win?

RE : A while back I used to bet NASCAR on a regular basis, and it seemed that anytime that I would bet against Jimmie Johnson it would come back to haunt me. I know the rules of the Chase have changed over the past few seasons, but there is a reason why he has won six titles over the course of his career. There could be some good value in Busch's odds, but I would have to go with Johnson the No. 48 Chevy to add yet another title to the list this Sunday.

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 .

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