With international call-ups postponing recent Black Cats fixtures, Sunderland find themselves solidly in fifth position but with games in hand over some teams above them.
Here, we take a look at the points per game record of each side in the top ten in League One to see where they may finish at the end of the season based on their current record:
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1. Burton Albion - 1.40 PPG
Highlighting the gulf in class between the top nine and the rest of the division, Burton Albion currently sit in 10th place, earning 1.40 PPG. Extrapolated over the season, this would see them reach just 64 points, a total that would have only been good enough for 14th place last season. Photo: Alex Davidson
2. Portsmouth - 1.60 PPG
Danny Cowley’s side have won four in a row in the league now, however, a poor start to the season means their PPG is not enough to earn them a playoff place. Photo: Jacques Feeney
3. Sheffield Wednesday - 1.65 PPG
Darren Moore’s side were one of the pre-season favourites for promotion this season, however, a slow start means their average of 1.65 points per game would not be enough to secure even a playoff place. Photo: George Wood
4. Oxford United - 1.78 PPG
Narrowly missing out on the playoffs, according to PPG, would be Oxford United. A predicted haul of 82 points would have been good enough for third last campaign, but only good enough for seventh this season if trends continue. Photo: Alex Burstow