The table lies until March
Premier League rankings are seasonal weather. The traditional big six is now a big two-plus-audition — City and Arsenal setting the S bar, everyone else cycling through crisis and revival narratives weekly. Newly promoted sides get ranked on survival odds rather than quality, which is why a gritty Sunderland can out-rank a richer club in fan lists. The mid-table is where rankings get honest: Brighton and Brentford force people to rank smart recruitment against wage bills.