Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 8/30/2016

by Doc's Sports - 8/30/2016

Michigan Wolverines quarterback John O'Korn

In this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza, we will get his opinion on a topic that is near and dear to our heart; the race for 2016 Big Ten football conference title. We will also have him weigh in on the Big 12 as well as some early-season betting tips for the NFL.

Once known as the Vegas Sports Informer during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry, Raphael rose through the ranks to hold the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement in 2013. During this time he also rose through the ranks to become one of the top sports handicappers in the nation. Since leaving the sportsbook industry he has devoted all of his time running a 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: Most sportsbooks in town paint the Big Ten title race as a two-team battle between Ohio State and Michigan. If you were betting the futures odds to win this conference championship in 2016, which way would you lean?

RE: All the talk in the Big Ten surrounds those two teams, and I would agree that the winner of the East Division should be decided on Nov. 26 when the Buckeyes play host to the Wolverines. However, I am not about to concede the conference championship to one of those two in light of my pick out of the West and my upset pick to win it all in the Big Ten; the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Doc's Sports: Oklahoma is a heavy favorite with the books to repeat as Big 12 champs, so are you betting on the Sooners to win again or is there another team or two in this conference to keep an eye on this season?

RE: This is the Sooners' race to lose, but they could still see their Big 12 title hopes come unraveled early in the season with a brutal stretch of games starting with a nonconference clash against Ohio State on Sept. 17 followed by TCU in their Big 12 opener and Texas in early October. Either of those teams could figure in the mix in the conference title race with an upset over Oklahoma.

Doc's Sports : A new season in the NFL gets underway next week. Can you give us one or two important inside betting tips that might help bettors get off to a fast start in Week 1?

RE: Tracking line movements is key early in the season to give you an idea where the sharp money might be going for the first few weeks of games. You should not only write the opening line down when it is first released, but you should also track how many times it has moved throughout the course of the week to see if any betting patterns do emerge.

Doc's Sports : Unfortunately, baseball becomes an afterthought with many sports bettors once football gets underway. What would be one or two of your top betting tips when it comes to making money on MLB games during this time of the year?

RE: This is the time of the year when I look to go against teams with big leads in their division race such as the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central and Texas in the AL West. These teams already have their spot in the playoffs pretty much locked up, so they are in a position to limit the pitch count of their starters and rest the big bats in their lineup much more than playoff contending teams that still need to win most of their games in the final month of the regular season.

Doc's Sports: Are there any other betting opportunities coming up in the near future that might get overlooked given all the excitement surrounding the start of college football this week and the NFL the first full week of September?

RE : Sports bettors do get so caught up with football that they tend to forget there are quite a few other opportunities out there this time of the year. When it comes to soccer you have both the Premier League and the Champions League in action. Leagues such as the CFL and WNBA are heading into the stretch run towards the playoffs, and horse racing offers some interesting graded events almost every weekend leading up the Breeders' Cup in early November.

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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