The market has Lincoln, who finished 11th last season at almost ‘pick em’ prices, with Mansfield, who ended the campaign in 17th, seven points further back. In order for that to be the case, Stags will need to have a much stronger transfer window than Lincoln and will also need to turn around their end of season form that saw them lose five of their last eight games, conceding 21 goals in the process. Burton, Port Vale and Northampton are also in this category, but I don't expect them to compete in the same portion of the table as the Imps.

Looking at the Imps' business, they have lost centre back pair Paudie O’Connor and Sean Roughan; however, Sonny Bradley and Ryley Towler come in with recent promotions from League One on their CV and will add plenty of experience and steel. Aside from the defensive changes, this is essentially the same side who have been solid under Michael Skubala for the best part of two years, with consecutive top-half finishes.

Mansfield, meanwhile, have recruited their own defensive enforcers in the form of Ryan Sweeney and Kyle Knoyle, but whether this is enough to shore up a backline which shipped 73 goals last season remains to be seen. Regan Hendry will add creativity to their midfield but has never sparkled at League One level, and with Will Evans shouldering much of their goalscoring responsibility, they still need to strengthen in attack.

Their ceiling looks to be mid-table security, whereas Lincoln will have ambitions of a top six push, and so at the prices, the Imps have to be backed to triumph over Mansfield and relegation candidates Burton, Port Vale and Northampton. 

Staying with bet365’s Regional Specials market, Huddersfield look overpriced to finish above neighbours Rotherham, Barnsley and newly promoted duo Bradford and Doncaster. Lee Grant has wasted no time in building a Terriers squad in his image, and the additions from the Championship of Ryan Ledson, Marcus Harness, Lynden Gooch, Jack Whatmough and Murray Wallace have certainly raised some eyebrows.

Those signings alongside a squad already containing the likes of Tom Lees, Herbie Kane and Ben Wiles have been enough to see Huddersfield installed as the second-favourites for the League One title and with the squad at Grant’s disposal, it’s hard to disagree.

Huddersfield will have their doubters, especially given their six straight league defeats to finish last season and that they have a rookie manager in the dugout; however, the value in this market comes in the lack of a real contender. The jump from League Two to League One is notoriously difficult, which should rule Bradford and Doncaster out of a top 6 challenge, and whilst Barnsley and Rotherham have strong pedigree at the level, their current squads and 12th and 13th place finishes last season mean that a season rebuilding is more likely.

Huddersfield look like real contenders, and to be getting close to even money about them finishing higher than their local rivals feels generous.  

Having finished in 9th place last season, 11 points off the play-offs, Blackpool have perhaps been one of the most interesting sides in the transfer market in the summer. Steve Bruce has recruited early and added experience to a squad that finished the last campaign well after a disastrous start, which saw the Tangerines win just one of their opening five games. At the back, they’ve brought in Fraser Horsfall and Michael Ihiekwe, which instantly looks like one of the strongest centre back partnerships in the division, and Danny Imray arrives on loan from Crystal Palace having impressed at Bromley last season. 

Perhaps their most eye-catching recruitment has taken place in midfield, where Jordan Brown has arrived for a significant fee from play-off finalists Leyton Orient, having played in every league game last season, and Millwall regular George Honeyman will add goal threat and experience too. They join a midfield that already has the talents of Albie Morgan and Lee Evans, and the squad now looks to have the depth to sustain a promotion challenge. 

The Seasiders will need Ashley Fletcher and Niall Ennis to finally reach their potential to bring the goals needed to sustain a Championship charge, but with Bruce at the helm, who has won promotion at a higher level on four occasions, they’ll have ambitions of a lofty finish. 

Having touched on Huddersfield’s recruitment earlier on in this article, I’m yet to mention the signings of Sean Roughan and Joe Low at centre back, who were two of League One’s best defenders last season. Roughan has made nearly 150 appearances for Lincoln at just 21 years of age, whilst Low was a key part of Wycombe’s unexpected promotion challenge – both look like real coups for the level and had plenty of suitors.

If there are to be question marks over the Yorkshire side’s promotion credentials, it will likely be in the goalscoring department; however, January additions Dion Charles and Joe Taylor arrived with big reputations, and we can disregard their slow start given the state of the club in the final stages of last season. With the likes of Marcus Harness, Ben Wiles and Herbie Kane supplying them, the duo should get plenty of chances and have the finishing quality to both reach at least double figures.

The final key to this bet is that with the likes of financial powerhouses Birmingham and Wrexham and perennial underachievers Charlton promoted last season, there looks to be an opportunity at the top of the division to stake a claim for dominance, and Huddersfield’s owners have certainly dipped into their pockets in an attempt to take one of those spots. Recently relegated Cardiff, Luton and Plymouth all have their difficulties and don’t yet look in a position to win the division, and Huddersfield look the best placed of the rest to take advantage.

At the other end of the table, long-standing drain circlers Shrewsbury, Cambridge and Bristol Rovers all dropped to League Two last season, and with Crawley also joining them, the relegation picture looks a lot less predictable this season. The likes of AFC Wimbledon, Northampton and Exeter look most likely to struggle; however, at least one spot looks up for grabs, and we could see a shock relegation at a big price.

Step forward Rotherham, who despite heavy investment last summer and a promotion specialist in the dugout, ended a hugely disappointing campaign in 13th place. Matt Hamshaw has been given the reins this season after impressing in a caretaker spell at the end of last season; however, the potential wearing off of his instant impact might expose his lack of managerial experience, and as is well documented, great coaches don’t always make great managers.

In terms of squad, the Millers have lost the highly rated Hakeem Odoffin to Luton and one of their few bright sparks from last season in Mallik Wilks. The real concern is that, as of yet, nothing groundbreaking has come through the door, with only Kian Spence from League Two and young goalkeeper Ted Cann to bolster the squad. There’s no doubting that the players at Hamshaw’s disposal currently look a weaker crop than this time last season, and whilst they’re by no means likely to be strugglers, they could well be looking over their shoulder at a big price.

The relegation places look open this season, one team that look like having an uphill struggle on their hands are new-boys AFC Wimbledon. The Dons sealed promotion via the play-offs, but since that day of elation in May, they’ve lost some key players. Johnnie Jackson built Wimbledon’s success on defensive solidity, and whilst the defence remains the same, the loss of goalkeeper Owen Goodman (to Huddersfield coincidentally), who had the most clean sheets and the 3rd-best save percentage in the division, will be significant.

The real issues for Jackson’s men will be going forward. They scored just 56 goals from the 10th most expected goals of any League Two side, and the departures of Josh Neufville and James Tilley, who contributed 34% of those goals, further adding to concerns over their ability to score enough goals. They’re yet to strengthen at all going forward, and again look set to rely on Matty Stevens for goals, as he was the only player in the squad to score more than six last season.

Strong defences and being able to keep games low margin are usually solid foundations on which to survive and in any other season. AFC Wimbledon may well give it a good go but with the sides who struggled last season in Burton, Mansfield and Exeter making significant signings already, it’s difficult to see any clubs that look more likely to prop up the division than the Dons.