Birmingham Championship Odds: Blues Priced At 6/1 To Win The Championship
Will Jackson 
Birmingham have been priced up at 6/1 to win the Championship next season after securing promotion back to the second tier at the first time of asking.
The Blues beat Peterborough last week to secure a top two spot in League One and have now been confirmed as champions, and they could yet break the 100-point barrier as they continue their relentless march back to the Championship.
And being priced up at 6/1 with online betting site Bet Goodwin would suggest they will be one of the favourites to achieve promotion back to the Premier League next season - presumably in part due to the backing provided by Knighthead Capital Investment - but can they emulate the success of Ipswich last year?
To Win The Championship
Having been priced up at 6/1 to finish top of the Championship next season, Bet Goodwin are clearly expecting big things from Birmingham.
It is worth considering that this season's current top two - Leeds and Burnley - were valued at 8/1 and 7/2 before the start of this season, so evidently Birmingham should be there or thereabouts next year - at least in Bet Goodwin's eyes.
The way they have dealt with League One has been hugely impressive. Yes they have spent a lot of money, but there have been no slip-ups and they've been top of the table pretty much all season.
But have they dominated the league in the same way teams such as Ipswich did? They haven't exactly hammered teams or blown them away on a regular basis, so you'd think they would have to spend a bit more money to be able to compete with Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton.
Automatic Promotion
It may look like a bit of a longshot, but as Ipswich proved last year, momentum can count for a lot when moving into the Championship.
They finished second in League One under Kieran McKenna but went on a brilliant run the following the season, eventually clinching second place and a return to the Premier League having only very recently been in League One, and it's provided the perfect template for teams moving forward.
This season, Portsmouth, Derby and Oxford have circled the plughole all season - by no means a disgrace, just reverting to the norm - but with a 'big club' such as Birmingham coming up and with the backing they will have, they should have a more realistic chance of making that double jump.
However with the state of play at the moment, it seems increasingly likely that the top two Championship spots will be dominated by teams relegated from the Premier League the following season, so it will be a huge ask for Birmingham to compete with the likes of Leicester, Southampton and Ipswich.
Play-Offs
The play-offs would appear a much more realistic target for Birmingham to aim for, and that's before we even consider how much they may invest over the summer.
They boast easily the most expensive squad ever assembled in League One history and one that stacks up very well against the majority of Championship sides, so when you compare resources, you would argue a play-off spot should be about what they are aiming for next season.
It will be hard, with three relegated Premier League teams almost certain to occupy three of the top six spots, and then with established sides like Middlesbrough, Coventry, Bristol City, West Brom, Sunderland and Norwich also in the mix - unless one of them goes up this year - but Birmingham's resources indicate they should certainly be looking up rather than down next season.
Relegation
Looking at the Championship table this season, it shouldn't be a huge surprise to see a promoted side from League One struggling next season, but it would certainly be counted as a failure in this instance.
Portsmouth and Plymouth have won League One in the past two seasons but both could find themselves relegated this season, while Oxford and Derby are up against it in the bid to survive.
You would expect the depth of Birmingham's squad and resource available to them to be enough to avoid even struggling next season, but if Chris Davies were to be tempted elsewhere along with any of the players, then things could fall apart.
While Birmingham could potentially push for a top-six spot, a mid-table position should be the minimum of what they aim for and finishing in the bottom third of the table would be an undoubted failure.
Finish Bottom
Wigan are the only team in the history of League One - at least since it was renamed such in 2004/05 - to be promoted in top spot only to finish bottom of the Championship the following season.
And that only came after they were deducted three points amid ongoing financial difficulties, and they continue to struggle in League One currently.
This tells us that the momentum of winning League One - which Birmingham will do at a canter this season - should be enough to avoid finishing bottom the following season, and that there isn't a big gap at all between the bottom of the Championship and the top of League One.
It would be unlikely for whoever finishes top to come bottom next season, but given Birmingham's resources, it would be really hard to see it happening and something would have gone very wrong should that happen.
Keep an eye on Freebets over the coming weeks for the latest football betting odds on Birmingham ahead of next season.
Once they're out, we will be sure to bring them to you along with the latest developments and insight.
