Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 11/29/2016

by Doc's Sports - 11/29/2016

Doc's Sports Services has always had close ties to the Big Ten given our Wisconsin roots, and in this week's discussion with expert handicapper Raphael Esparza we will get his thoughts on this Saturday's Big Ten Championship Game between Penn State and Wisconsin as well as his take on the upcoming College Football Playoff.

Once known as the Vegas Sports Informer during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry, Raphael not only became one of the nation's top sports handicappers, but he also held the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement in 2013. These days he can be found splitting his time between Las Vegas and the Big Easy in New Orleans running a successful and diverse sports investment service. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: When a few of the top NFL betting teams this season all fail to cover at the same time, that has to signal a big day for the sportsbooks in Las Vegas. Just how bad did the betting public take it on the chin in Week 12 of the NFL season?

RE: With Dallas and New England failing to cover it should have been a big week for the books. However, bettors managed to actually come out slightly ahead of the books in the NFL in Week 12. Las Vegas got crushed on New Orleans covering, and quite a bit of money was lost when the Cowboys' game against the Redskins last Thursday went "over".

Doc's Sports: We have been talking about Dallas all season long as the biggest surprise in the NFC, but it is time to turn some serious attention to the 9-2 Oakland Raiders in the AFC. They are tied with New England for the top seed in this conference right now. So, how far can the Black and Silver go this season?

RE: You have to give Oakland all the credit in what should be its best regular-season performance in quite some time, but I am not sold that the Raiders can go on to make a deep run in the playoffs. That is the time of the year when a team's defense defines the difference between winning and losing, and Oakland still has some pretty big holes on that side of the ball.

Doc's Sports : Before the college football season started nobody thought that Penn State would be competing for the Big Ten title let alone a possible spot in the College Football Playoff at this point of the season. Wisconsin still has a shot to stake its claim as one of the top four teams in the nation. So, which of these two Big Ten powers keeps its possible national title dreams alive with a victory this Saturday in the conference title game?

RE: I would have to lean towards Wisconsin this Saturday to win the Big Ten title given just how consistent the Badgers have been all season long. This is especially true when it comes to their play on defense. I know that Penn State came on in the second half of the season, but I still cannot get that lopsided loss to Michigan in late September out of my mind.

Doc's Sports : Nothing has been officially set as far as which four teams will eventually compete for a national title starting with the two College Football Playoff semifinal matchups, but if you had to project what the final field will be following the results of this Saturday's games, which four teams would be on your list?

RE: Every list should start with Alabama at No. 1. The truth of the matter is every other team that is still in contention to make it into the College Football Playoff is playing for second place. I would round out my list with Clemson at No. 2 followed by Washington and Ohio State. Trust me, money and TV ratings have as much to do with which four teams get in as does the actual outcome of the games.

Doc's Sports: Cleveland and Golden State are clearly the top two teams in the standings through the first month of the new NBA season, but when it comes to betting on them they are a combined 15-16-2 against the spread following Monday's results. Can you give us one or two NBA teams that you would go with right now from a betting standpoint?

RE : I do not normally focus on any single team when it comes to betting NBA games since I am more focused on looking for soft numbers here and there. That being said, teams such as Chicago in the East and Utah in the West have caught my given some of the soft numbers they have enjoyed this year. Even teams such as Philadelphia and New Orleans can often times provide quite a bit of value as heavy underdogs.

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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