And the Jags defender hopes the Gers' ongoing plight will be the catalyst for change across Scottish football as our national game lurches towards crisis.
Dropping the Gers into the Irn-Bru First Division and a switch to SPL1 and SPL2 have both been muted and Paton would love to go head-to-head with Ally McCoist's side next term.
He said: "Rangers have broken the rules and they will need to face the consequences.
"If they ended up in the Third Division and had to work their way up, every team will benefit financially.
"You have to look at what happened to Livingston. I don't know if it is fair to put Rangers into the First Division just because that makes sense financially for the clubs or for the TV deal.
"There are rules in place and you have to abide by them.
"Something has got to change. At the minute, Scottish football is a bit of a laughing stock."
