Appreciate what you say but our championship is way above the standard of any other 2nd tier league
Perhaps, but the financial distance between is greater 17th in the PL and 3rd in the EFL is a chasm. The revenue a Championship side (without access to parachute payments) receives is just over 1/8th of that a team finish in 17th in the Premier League would currently get.
Ultimately, a Championship side may stand a chance against someone truly terrible (Norwich/Huddersfield for example) but they would finish bottom, be automatically relegated and wouldn't go into a play-off. Against a Villa/Southampton; absolutely zero chance.