The Black Cats are currently fifth in League One heading into a busy Christmas period after a draw against Oxford United at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
Sunderland are two points off the promotion places, with Rotherham United and Wigan Athletic occupying the top two spots at the moment.
But how is the third tier predicted to look come the end of the season based on the results so far?
Here, we take a look at how the data experts say that the table will look at the end of the season:
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9. Accrington Stanley - 16th
Accrington Stanley are predicted to finish 16th in League One on 57 points by data experts FiveThirtyEight. Photo: Gareth Copley
10. Lincoln City - 15th
Lincoln are predicted to finish 15th in League One on 58 points by data experts FiveThirtyEight. Photo: Laurence Griffiths
11. Cheltenham - 14th
Cheltenham are predicted to finish 14th in League One on 60 points by data experts FiveThirtyEight. Photo: Charlotte Tattersall
12. Burton Albion - 13th
Burton are predicted to finish 13th in League One on 61 points by data experts FiveThirtyEight. Photo: Alex Davidson