How to predict the Championship

1. Predict bands before positions

With 24 clubs, arguing over 11th and 12th is wasted effort. Sort the league into bands first: automatic promotion, the play-off pack, upper mid-table, lower mid-table, and the relegation fight. Placement points reward being close, so a correct band already protects most of your score even when the exact order is wrong.

• Automatic promotion and the play-off pack are usually 8-10 clubs deep
• Relegated Premier League clubs land anywhere from first to mid-table
• Promoted League One sides split hard: some push up, some fall straight back

2. Squad depth beats a strong first eleven

Forty-six rounds plus cup ties means most clubs play midweek for large stretches of the season. The teams that hold their level are the ones with two credible options in every position, not the ones with the best starting eleven in August. Weigh depth, injury history and the size of the summer turnover above last season's finish.

3. Weeks are 1-X-2, so play the format

Championship weeks are predicted as outcomes: home win, draw or away win. There is no partial credit for a near-miss scoreline to fall back on, so every pick is a clean decision. That makes discipline worth more than flair: pick the outcome you would defend, not the one that would look clever.

• Draws are common in a league with little quality gap - do not treat them as a last resort
• Away wins happen more often here than instinct suggests, especially against tired hosts
• Predictions lock at the first kick-off of the week, so submit before the Friday game

Not sure what 1-X-2 means? See the prediction game glossary

4. Read the schedule, not just the form table

In a congested week, the club playing its third match in seven days is a different team from the one that rested. Before you pick a week, check who played midweek, who travelled furthest and who has a cup replay coming. Schedule context is the cheapest edge in this league.

5. Use the Mid Season reset

Season Call opens a second, independent table prediction at the halfway point, weighted lower than the Pre Season one. In the Championship that matters more than anywhere else: by January you know which manager changes stuck, which promoted side adapted and who is drifting towards a relegation fight. A weak August prediction is not the end of your season.

6. Treat the bonus questions separately

Bonus questions such as the league winner and relegation are scored on their own, apart from the table. You can be measured in the table, where being close still scores, and deliberately bolder in a bonus answer.