Send us your predictions.
It is hard to predict how Ben Hollioake's death will affect Surrey, but there is little doubt they have the talent to regain the Championship.
And at Yorkshire, skipper Darren Lehmann will want to prove David Byas' role as captain was incidental to the team's success last season.
Of the rest, Kent and last year's Championship runners-up Somerset should put up the staunchest challenge.
In Division Two, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire will all be jostling for promotion, while Essex, under new coach Graham Gooch, could spring a surprise.
The County Championship is not about who wins. I just think our present four-day game is quite superb, as the first six matches which ended yesterday proved so magnificently. They were littered with thrilling, exhilarating and truly brilliant individual performances. A fabulous treat for so early in the season. Keep up the excellent work, boys!
Geoffrey Cross,
England (Essex)
I'm a big Yorkshire fan and am slightly worried about our lack of batting strength when Michael Vaughan is with England. We need players like Lumb to fulfil their potential and a full season from Craig White could be a key. Just a word for a certain D Byas...was that a GOLDEN duck on your debut??? Up the Yorkies!!
Allen Cooper, UK
To even to look beyond G-d's team and think the Championship will not return to the Oval is laughable.
Edward,
Hong Kong
Warwickshire will win Division One this summer because of England's hottest talent, IAN BELL!
Mohammed,
England
As a Yorkshireman who was a member of the club in the 1960'S I was delighted to see the county had their first championship win in 34 years. However, like many people who are Yorkshire born I do not regard it as good as when all the players were born in the county.
However I count myself lucky to have seen the great Yorkshire sides of the sixties and when the game was still played without all the armour the players wear today.
Jim Palmer, Australia
Surrey all the way! With competition for England places still well up for grabs, any of the Surrey players can come in and do the job. My player to watch will be Alex Tudor, I think he could do well for England in both forms of the game.
Stuart,
Surrey
Ok, so many may say I'm biased but I really do think Kent have a chance of glory this season. Rob Key and David Fulton are in cracking form and our batting line-up are capable of taking any attack apart.
Our bowlers have been so underrated in the last couple of seasons. Martin Saggers has been outstanding and the addition of Jamie Hewitt to our squad I believe gives us real pace. For the first time in many years, there is talk of a title shot down in Kent!
Phill Thorne, Kent, UK
Inadvertently, my Australian chum has put his finger on the crux of the matter. Well done Master Simms. In the 60s and 70s South Australia's Shield team had assistance from such class players as Barrie Richards from South Africa and 'Big Bird' Joel Gardener from The West Indies.
In the 80's, our Test team had the assistance of South Africa's Kepler Wessels. Not only did these players acquit themselves well, they passed on valuable information on technique and playing smarts that served the likes of Ian Chappell et al well in their international careers. Surely this is the aim of having international cricketers in England's county teams.
Lehmann was South Australia's captain last year, and doubtless he'll be showing his team-mates in Yorkshire the differences between how the game is played in English county cricket and what was the Sheffield Shield, but is now called the Pura Cup.
Oh yes, the point? Well, obviously cricket isn't about (not too much) whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. Who cares who wins the county championship so long as it becomes a venue where players of the future are taught the skills of how to take the game to Australia (and others) and put and end to 4-0 or 5-1 results. Go cricket!
Tim Glass, Japan
Yorkshire ought to do it again - despite Test absences. White will be available more and Lumb is a potentially excellent young batsman. Thanks to Dawson's emergence, they shouldn't be so reliant on their seam attack.
Katherine, UK
It is obvious that Somerset are going to win the County Championship this year. Surrey and Yorkshire just don't stand a chance against such an amazing team.
Joe, England
Yorkshire will start favourites, but it depends on how well Surrey's new non-internationals, like Stewart and Ramprakash, play. If the selectors ignore them, I can see both getting runs this season.
Also, Yorkshire coped well last year with a limited show from Gough, so I can't see that being a problem. Other batsmen need to share the burden, and not just rely on Captain Darren and young Wood.
Neil, England
It has to be Surrey. I cannot see any other team with the depth of batting they have. Apart from Yorkshire, their seam attack is not too bad, with arguably two Test class all-rounders as (potentially) their opening attack.
This has to be Tudor's year, but he does have to produce the goods, backed up by Ormond and Flat foot. They have one of the best spin bowlers in world cricket (are we due a burner this summer?). With England looking like they will not be calling on Rampers or Stewie, it's in the bag.
Yorkshire will not have Hoggard, Gough, Vaughan and maybe Dawson around for huge swathes of the season and will be relying too heavily on their captain's runs.
Paul Hallett, Banbury, UK
There's no doubt in my mind that Yorkshire will make it two in a row. They've broken the jinx of not winning the title in 30 years, now they're going to make it two in a row. They've got the best bowling attack by far and the best batsmen in the whole country in Darren Lehmann - he is fantastic!
With the great depth in the squad, the Yorkshire players will have no problem doing the double - winning the Test series and the championship, keeping the title where it belongs - in Yorkshire!
Andrew Mcgarrigle, UK
Whoever wins, it is unlikely to benefit the English team since county cricket is so poor in quality.
Ram, India
Sussex may be a surprise package this season but Yorkshire will win it again with Somerset likely to struggle and probably relegated.
B. Dixon, England
After Somerset's good show last year I think they can mount a healthy challenge this season. Even without Trescothick and Caddick they have a formidable line up in both batting and bowling. With Matt Bulbeck, a great pitch down at Taunton and one of the best captains in the world in Jamie Cox (shame he's an Aussie) they have a very good chance of going all the way this year!
Paul Hume, England
I think Yorkshire will take some stopping this campaign.
In terms of bowling I can't see anyone to match Yorkshire, with the likes of Gough, Hoggard, Silverwood, White etc. Lehmann and Vaughan are top class batsmen and Craig White can also produce devastating innings. I'm looking forward to the season getting underway and Yorkshire carrying on from where they left off. Do we get to see any cricket on the BBC this year?
Cliff, Blackpool, England
This goes to show what is wrong with English cricket. When a current Aussie player is a skipper of a county side, which is where you should be developing your country's players, then one wonders why it is so difficult to understand why England is so bad.
In the Aussie state sides, you will rarely, if at all, find a player from another country playing. Well, as an Aussie I have no problem with England keeping our boys fit and in form. Great going, Pommies.
Jimmy Simms, Australia
If Surrey can play to a tenth of their abilities then the rest have a lot to do. The surprise package I think will be Durham, lots of young gifted, home grown talent which may really blossom this year injuries permitting.
Rob Fe, UK
Surrey are the obvious contenders this year for Yorkshire's crown. However if Lehmann has a season like last year there is not a team to touch Yorkshire. There is not a player at Surrey that is likely to produce an average approaching 90 for an entire season. Yorkshire's seam line up is second to none and could (if Andy Caddick is injured) feasibly provide the entire England bowling attack. Coupled with the ever improving spin of Richard Dawson my money is on Yorkshire to retain the title.
Matt, UK