There is something genuinely enjoyable about the weeks before a new lower-league season begins. The optimism is untainted, every club is level on points, and the daftest predictions feel entirely plausible. Scottish football's League One and League Two are rarely short of storylines, and the 2026-27 campaign looks set to continue that tradition with some enthusiasm.
Ross County: bouncing straight back?
The most prominent name in the conversation heading into the new season is Ross County. Relegated clubs carrying genuine quality tend to dominate the early part of any lower-division campaign, and County arrive in League One with the motivation of a side that feels it does not belong there. Whether the Dingwall club can maintain that intensity across a full season — rather than stuttering once the initial drive fades — is the real question. Immediate promotion is the expectation from most quarters, but Scottish football has made fools of favourites before, and the division will not simply roll over.
East Kilbride finding their feet
One of the more intriguing threads running through the preview is East Kilbride stepping into their first full SPFL campaign. Having come through the pyramid system, they now face the very different challenge of sustaining momentum over a proper league season rather than a series of high-stakes one-off matches. Recruitment, conditioning, and squad depth all become factors that clubs higher up the pyramid take for granted — for East Kilbride, working all of that out on the job while competing for points will be a steep but fascinating education. They carry the excitement of a club still discovering what they can be at this level, and that freshness can cut both ways.
Hamilton's recruitment drive
Hamilton Academical have been busy in the build-up to the season. Accies have a decent record of assembling competitive squads without the budgets of some rivals, and a purposeful recruitment drive suggests they are not content to simply make up the numbers. If those signings gel quickly, they could make life awkward for Ross County at the top of League One before long.
League Two: genuinely competitive chaos
Further down, Scottish League Two looks set for the kind of unpredictable campaign that makes it compulsive viewing for neutral fans. The competitive balance across the division — with several clubs carrying genuine promotion ambitions — makes it difficult to identify a clear favourite with any confidence. The market might not separate them by much at the start, and for good reason. When five or six sides are legitimately eyeing the top spots, the table can look completely different from one Saturday to the next.
Craig Telfer and John Walker joined Charlotte Cohen on the BBC Scotland Scottish Football Podcast to work through the predictions — top scorers, managers to watch, and the clubs most likely to surprise. It is a useful compass for what lies ahead over the next nine months, even if Scottish football has a stubborn habit of ignoring any compass entirely.
The season is close. The arguments are already starting. That feels about right.
Frequently asked
- Will Ross County win promotion from Scottish League One this season?
- Ross County are widely regarded as one of the favourites for promotion from Scottish League One following relegation, but the division is competitive and nothing is guaranteed over a full campaign.
- Is East Kilbride in the SPFL for the first time?
- East Kilbride are preparing for their first full SPFL season after coming through the Scottish football pyramid system, making 2026-27 a landmark campaign for the club.
- Which clubs are favourites to win Scottish League Two?
- Scottish League Two is expected to be highly competitive this season, with several clubs holding genuine promotion ambitions and no single clear favourite emerging from pre-season previews.