How Many Points Does It Take to Win the Scottish Premiership?

Celtic have claimed 20 of the last 26 Scottish top-division championships, while Rangers have secured the remaining six.

Since the beginning of the 2000-01 campaign, when the top tier expanded from 10 to 12 clubs and introduced a split following three rounds of matches, champions have collected an average of 91.65 points.

This figure also takes into account the unfinished 2019-20 campaign, which was curtailed due to Covid and settled using points per game.

Four seasons stand apart from the usual pattern. Celtic passed the 100-point mark in 2001-02, during O’Neill’s second year of his initial spell, and again in 2016-17, while Rangers achieved the same feat in 2020-21.

At the opposite extreme, Celtic lifted the 2013 title with 79 points, the only time this century that the champions have ended a campaign below 80.

Across the other 21 seasons, the title-winning totals have fallen between 80 and 99 points.

Champions have surpassed 90 points on 16 occasions, with 13 of those totals falling between 90 and 99.

Focusing only on campaigns played during the 2020s, title winners have averaged 93.5 points.

That trend suggests the champions this season will probably collect more than 90 points, most likely finishing somewhere between 91 and 94.

With title-winning sides averaging 3.5 losses per season since 2000, a record of 30 victories, four draws and four defeats would put a club in a strong position to finish first.