Scottish Premier League: Rangers Off to a Hot Start

With five wins in five tries, Rangers are sitting pretty atop the Scottish Premier League.

Walter Smith has done a remarkable job turning the club around. This time last year, Rangers were looking awful under Paul Le Guen. Now, they're looking forward to the Champions League campaign—and looking like the favourites to lift their first league title since 2005.

The superb early form is uncharacteristic for the club, who traditionally drop a few points as the season gets going. This year, they've scored 18 goals in their first five games to keep an edge on hard-charging Celtic.

New signings Carlos Cuellar and DaMarcus Beasley have started well, as have strikers Daniel Cousin and Jean-Claude Darcheville. Young Steven Whittaker, a summer pickup from Hibs, has also got his Ibrox career off to a flying start with a string of impressive performances.

In the Champions League, Rangers have been drawn in the so called "Group of Death," where they'll face FC Barcelona of Spain, Lyonnais of France, and Stuttgart of Germany. Although many have already written the club off, I think they still have a chance.

In their last Champions campaign, Rangers knocked out FC Porto and made it through to the second round...with a squad far less competitive than the current model. Four years ago, Rangers beat Stuttgart in the Champions League 2-1 at Ibrox. What's more, Barcelona have a very poor record in Scotland, which given Rangers' outstanding home record could spell an upset.

So don't count Rangers out just yet, as Celtic and the national team have proven that Scottish football is indeed on the rise.

My prediction: a good season for Rangers and a return to their traditional spot atop the Scottish league.