Impossible to call? What to look out for in the Scottish Championship

Will Falkirk, Partick Thistle and Raith Rovers be among the teams challenging at the top of the table?

Any preview of Scottish football’s second tier has to be heavily caveated. This season, perhaps even more than any other in recent history, it is well-nigh impossible to predict who will go up as champions, who will be challenging for promotion and who will be struggling to avoid relegation.

As ever, every team is capable of beating the rest and will be quietly optimistic that this can be their year.

It promises to be another fascinating campaign.

The action begins on Friday, with the BBC Scotland cameras at Falkirk v Queen's Park (19:45 BST kick-off).

Airdrieonians

Like many teams at this level, Airdrie have had to deal with a huge turnover of players over the summer and the challenge for Rhys McCabe is trying to make that transition as seamless as possible after a very encouraging first season back in the Championship.

Judging by their League Cup results, he has managed that pretty well so far as he continues to impress as a young manager.

Ben Wilson, who tore up the Northern Irish Premier League with Cliftonville, looks a very astute signing and Airdrie will be looking to at least replicate last season’s fourth-placed finish.

Ayr United

Last season felt very much like a period of consolidation for the Somerset Park club as Scott Brown got his feet under the table, but the Celtic great will have far loftier ambitions this time.

His squad definitely looks stronger. Scott McMann was terrific for Dundee United as they went up last year and it was a surprise he was let go, George Oakley is a major handful for defenders at this level and Jay Henderson is capable of creating and scoring as he has shown already.

Dunfermline Athletic

A disappointing League Cup campaign has some supporters concerned that they are in for a tough season.

Although David Wotherspoon and Kieran Ngwenya should be decent acquisitions, it feels like James McPake probably needs a few more bodies through the door if the squad is to be strong enough to compete for promotion.

Falkirk

The feelgood factor could scarcely be higher as the League One champions topped their League Cup group ahead of the flag-unfurling as they kick off the Championship season on Friday at home to Queen’s Park, live on BBC Scotland.

John McGlynn has not been overly active in the transfer market and has sought to temper expectation but if they can start the season well and build on the momentum they have, the play-offs could be a realistic target.

Greenock Morton

Dougie Imrie’s squad is another that has been quite dramatically reshaped over the course of the summer.

The loss of both George Oakley and Robbie Muirhead looks a lot to contend with, though the signing of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas could yet be an inspired one.

Morton started and finished last season on poor runs but still finished in the top half. If they can manage that again it will be highly impressive.

Hamilton Academical

Accies’ swift return to the Championship was their reward for sticking by John Rankin despite the previous season’s relegation.

Their principal target this season has got to be survival, but the final League Cup draw at Stark’s Park shows they can mix it with the league’s best.

Players like Barry Maguire and Steven Bradley should improve their quality, while the other new arrivals have plenty of Championship experience, which will stand the club in good stead.

Livingston

Can David Martindale take Livingston straight back up to the top flight?

Perhaps the most intriguing case study in the division, Livi’s season is a tough one to predict.

It looked as though David Martindale’s new-look squad had hit the ground running, with three wins from three in the League Cup, only for Spartans to beat them at Almondvale last time out, underlining that this Championship campaign will be far from straightforward.

The outcome of the opening league game against Dunfermline could be very instructive as to what lies ahead.

Partick Thistle

Thistle have got to be one of the favourites for the title given how close they have come to promotion under Kris Doolan the past two seasons.

He appears to have bought well – Kyle Turner and Dan MacKay are both hugely talented – to add to an already strong squad.

The cup home defeat by Clyde was a reminder that they are not the finished article, though. Nonetheless, they look a stick-on for a top-four finish and a title challenge has to be their aim.

Queen’s Park

Although the goals of Ruari Paton look like being difficult to replace, their League Cup goalscoring exploits would suggest otherwise.

Roddy MacGregor has made an immediate positive impact and, if he can stay fit, could be a fabulous signing by Callum Davidson.

The manager will probably be keen to add further to his squad over the next month to ensure they steer well clear of another relegation battle.

Raith Rovers

How Ian Murray’s side respond to the disappointment of last season’s play-off defeat is another extremely interesting thread in the months ahead.

They are among the title favourites, rightly so given how hard they pushed Dundee United last time around.

But an inauspicious League Cup campaign suggests they might yet be one or two signings short of once again contesting top spot in this fiercely competitive league.