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The Coca Cola Championship is a fantastically wide-open contest with at least a dozen teams in with a chance of winning the 2008/9 title. Bookmakers are usually in disagreement as to who should be favourites, with QPR and Birmingham jostling for position at the top of this season’s outright market, and the likes of Reading, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United and Wolves forming an orderly queue behind them.

Unlike the Premier League, teams can afford to lose several games in the Championship and still win the league or be promoted. Sunderland were a case in hand two seasons ago, losing their first four matches before manager Roy Keane came in and led them to the top flight. Likewise, West Brom lost eleven matches on their way to the Promised Land last term. Therefore, it's wise not to write off a team's chances too quickly in a division where anyone can beat anyone!
 
There's generally some great value to be found with this division, especially as bookmakers are more keen to focus on pricing up Premier League markets correctly (as more bets will be placed on the top league). It also regularly pays to back unfashionable clubs and swerve the 'big names' - they're in this division for a reason! An example of this could be found last season, with 'big clubs' Leicester and Southampton at the wrong end of the table.
 
You can also bet on any team to be promoted or relegated from the Championship with regular differences of opinion from the bookies generating value bets. Top Goalscorer is also a fascinating market, with the winner regularly being a big price before the start of the season. Again, the key is to avoid the obvious names.