Aye, very true - but how often does that ever happen?
There will always be one team who has an outstanding season that nobody expected before anyone kicked a ball (Huddersfield looking like that team, so far).
But 95% of the time, the winners of this division are the best team on paper.
I don't know how you can say that with any degree of surety, it sounds like cliche without basis in fact. Were Burnley the best squad in the Championship "on paper" last season? Maybe they were, I honestly have no idea, I find it slightly hard to believe though given that QPR and Hull didn't lose too many players. What about Bournemouth the season before, having just finished tenth?
Brighton are an extremely good side at this level, free scoring and tight at the back, with a manager who has taken a side up before and we'll have to up our game from what we've seen so far to match them.