After a demanding 37-day opening stretch, the Championship has paused for almost three weeks because of the international break.
With eight matches completed, there is already plenty to discuss in what promises to be another long and unpredictable 46-game campaign.
Here are some of the biggest talking points from the opening weeks.
Swansea lead a remarkably close Championship race
Only seven points separate the top 15 teams after eight matches, although Wolves and Portsmouth still have a game in hand following their postponed fixture because of Carabao Cup commitments.
The early standings suggest there is no dominant side in the division yet, with Swansea City currently setting the pace on 17 points.
QPR, Stoke City, Bristol City and Charlton Athletic are all close behind, while West Bromwich Albion have made a dramatic turnaround after spending much of last season near the bottom.
Since the Championship adopted its current name in 2004, only Brighton in 2012 had fewer points than Swansea’s current total while sitting top after eight matches. Brighton had 16 points at that stage and eventually finished fourth before suffering play-off disappointment.
Six other teams had previously led the Championship after eight games with 17 points. However, only Leeds United in 2019-20 and Sheffield United in 2022-23 eventually secured promotion.
Goals are flowing at an impressive rate
There have already been 277 goals scored in the Championship this season.
That is 36 more than at the same point last season, despite one fewer match being played, and it represents the second-highest total at this stage since the competition was rebranded in 2004-05.
One possible explanation is the increased use of direct football and the quality being delivered from wide areas.
There have been 47 goals scored from crosses so far, with only one of the previous nine seasons producing more at the same stage.
An incredible 44 of those goals have come via headers.
Throw-ins have also become a significant source of goals. Nine goals have already originated from throw-ins this season, the second-highest total at this stage across the past 14 campaigns.
For comparison, between 2013-14 and 2020-21, there were only 14 goals from throw-ins combined at this stage across eight seasons.
Bristol City have also enjoyed a major contribution from Rio Cardines, with the Crystal Palace loanee already registering six assists.
Burnley’s yo-yo pattern is in serious danger of continuing
Burnley began the campaign hoping to achieve something that had never previously been done — being relegated from the Premier League and promoted back five times.
The Clarets have endured a remarkable cycle since Sean Dyche left the club in 2022.
They won the Championship under Vincent Kompany in 2022-23 with 101 points, only to suffer relegation the following season after collecting just 24 points.
Under Scott Parker, Burnley immediately bounced back, earning promotion with 100 points while conceding only 16 goals. However, they were relegated again last season with four matches still remaining.
Nicky Hayen was brought in to oversee another promotion attempt, but the opening eight matches have been extremely difficult.
After a summer of major squad changes, Hayen had only 29 days in the job before Burnley’s first competitive fixture. Seventy-five days later, the Clarets remain winless, have collected just four points and sit at the bottom of the table.
Preston, Cardiff City and Derby County are the only other teams averaging less than a point per game.
Burnley’s record is particularly concerning because no Championship team has ever been promoted after failing to win any of its opening eight matches.
Of the previous 10 teams to experience the same start, only Brentford in 2018 finished in the top half.
However, there is some encouragement for Burnley supporters: seven of those 10 teams eventually avoided relegation, including Portsmouth two seasons ago and Sheffield Wednesday the year before.
Larin leading the Golden Boot race
Cyle Larin has emerged as the early frontrunner for the Championship’s Golden Boot.
The Southampton striker returned from a summer spent with Canada at the World Cup and has scored seven times in his first eight league appearances.
The 31-year-old made his move from Mallorca permanent after scoring eight goals in 16 matches during his loan spell last season.
His seven goals have arrived at a rate of one every 85 minutes and have played a major role in Southampton recovering from their four-point deduction following the ‘Spygate’ controversy.
Middlesbrough forward Will Lankshear is one goal behind Larin, while Norwich City’s Mo Toure has five goals.
Toure’s record is particularly impressive because he has scored those five goals from only 11 shots, averaging one goal every 91 minutes.
However, the Australia international will be sidelined for several months after suffering a shoulder injury against Bolton.
Lankshear’s performances could also attract attention from Premier League clubs, particularly given the potential value of finding productive forwards in the Championship.
Promotion favourites are beginning to find their rhythm
West Ham United were widely regarded as the pre-season favourites for promotion, with Wolves and Burnley also among the leading contenders.
The Hammers initially struggled after returning to the Championship for the first time in 14 years, collecting only two points from their opening three matches.
That included a surprising home defeat against Charlton.
Since then, their fortunes have changed dramatically.
West Ham won four consecutive matches, including an emphatic 6-0 victory over Wrexham, before drawing 2-2 away to Millwall.
Their 22 goals from eight league matches are their highest tally over an opening eight-game period in 93 years.
Six of the previous seven teams to score at least that many at this stage went on to win the Championship title.
Wolves have also made an encouraging start and are only three points behind the leaders, while still having their postponed match against Portsmouth to play.
After drawing their opening game against Blackburn with a late goal, Wolves suffered a 4-2 defeat at West Ham but responded with seven points from their next three matches.
Those results included victories at Birmingham City and against local rivals West Brom.
Considering Wolves won just three league matches and collected only 20 points throughout the whole of last season, their 14 points from seven games represent a significant improvement under new boss Cesar Peixoto.
QPR have surprised many with their early form
Few would have predicted QPR being among the early promotion contenders after they ended last season with only two points from their final six matches.
The Hoops currently possess one of the Championship’s strongest defensive records, conceding just seven goals in eight matches.
Their only defeat came against Middlesbrough, and QPR could feel unfortunate not to have taken something from that game.
Their biggest weakness so far has been finishing.
QPR have recorded 261 touches inside the opposition penalty area, the second-highest total in the division, while their 55 corners are also second-best.
However, their 7.3% shot-conversion rate ranks only 20th among the 24 Championship clubs.
Stoke’s revival continues
Stoke City have also turned their season around after a difficult start.
Following three consecutive defeats, the Potters have collected 13 points from their next five games and now sit just four points behind the leaders.
Manager Mark Robins was under considerable pressure after Stoke finished last season with just one point from their final six matches and ended the campaign in 17th place.
They had previously been involved in the promotion race before Christmas, but their recent form suggests the situation may be changing.
Stoke are now just one point behind West Brom, who have gone from battling near the bottom last season to competing inside the top five this campaign.
Lincoln making an immediate impression
Lincoln City have returned to the Championship for the first time in 65 years and have made an impressive start under their new management team.
The League One champions have scored only eight goals, giving them one of the lowest attacking totals in the division.
However, their defence has been outstanding.
Lincoln have kept four clean sheets from their opening eight matches, matching Swansea’s division-leading total.
With 11 points already collected, Lincoln sit only two points outside the play-off places.
That represents an impressive beginning for a side many expected to struggle and potentially finish at the bottom of the Championship.