QPR moved to the top of the Championship with victory over Cardiff on Wednesday, but their tally of 27 points after 15 games is the lowest for a league leader since the second tier was expanded to 24 teams in 1988-89.

Only 16 points separate Michael Beale’s side at the top from Huddersfield at the bottom. By comparison, there is a 21-point gap between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest at either end of the Premier League table with teams having played four or five games fewer than in the Championship.

Leagues One and Two have been equally unpredictable. All 24 sides in League One have suffered multiple defeats having played a maximum of 14 games, while four of the top six in League Two finished in the bottom half last season.

Just 12 weeks into the 2022-23 campaign, it is already possible to create continuous ‘victory loops’ for all three divisions of the English Football League (EFL).

A victory loop is made by arranging this season’s results so that Team 1 beats Team 2, Team 2 defeats Team 3, and so on until Team 24 beats Team 1.

Championship

Rotherham 0-2 Wigan (Oct 1)Rotherham 2-0 Birmingham (Aug 27)West Brom 2-3 Birmingham (Sep 14)West Brom 5-2 Hull (Aug 20)Hull 3-2 Coventry (Aug 27)Coventry 1-0 Middlesbrough (Oct 1)Middlesbrough 2-1 Swansea (Aug 27)Swansea 2-1 Sunderland (Oct 8)Bristol City 2-3 Sunderland (Aug 6)Bristol City 2-0 Huddersfield (Aug 31)Huddersfield 1-0 Cardiff (Sep 17)Cardiff 1-0 Norwich (Jul 30)Norwich 2-0 Millwall (Aug 19)Millwall 2-1 Blackpool (Sep 17)Blackpool 1-0 Reading (Jul 30)Reading 2-1 Stoke (Sep 4)Stoke 3-1 Sheff Utd (Oct 8)Preston 0-2 Sheff Utd (Sep 17)Luton 0-1 Preston (Aug 13)Luton 2-0 Blackburn (Sep 17)Blackburn 1-0 QPR (Jul 30)Watford 2-3 QPR (Aug 27)Watford 1-0 Burnley (Aug 12)Wigan 1-5 Burnley (Aug 27)

League One

Port Vale 2-1 Shrewsbury (Sep 17)Fleetwood 0-1 Shrewsbury (Oct 15)Burton 0-1 Fleetwood (Oct 4)Exeter 0-2 Burton (Sep 17)Exeter 1-0 MK Dons (Sep 3)Oxford 1-2 MK Dons (Sep 17)Cheltenham 1-2 Oxford (Aug 27)Cheltenham 1-0 Bolton (Oct 4)Bolton 1-0 Morecambe (Aug 16)Forest Green 1-2 Morecambe (Sep 17)Forest Green 2-1 Accrington (Sep 6)Bristol Rovers 0-1 Accrington (Sep 24)Bristol Rovers 2-1 Cambridge (Oct 8)Cambridge 2-0 Lincoln (Sep 3)Lincoln 2-0 Derby (Sep 13)Derby 2-1 Wycombe (Sep 17)Barnsley 0-3 Wycombe (Aug 20)Barnsley 3-1 Charlton (Sep 24)Charlton 5-1 Plymouth (Aug 16)Plymouth 2-1 Ipswich (Sep 25)Ipswich 3-2 Portsmouth (Oct 1)Portsmouth 2-1 Peterborough (Sep 3)Peterborough 2-0 Sheff Wed (Aug 16)Port Vale 0-1 Sheff Wed (Oct 1)

League Two

Salford 1-0 Stevenage (Aug 27)Stevenage 2-1 Carlisle (Aug 20)Grimsby 1-2 Carlisle (Sep 27)Grimsby 3-0 Crawley (Oct 8)Crawley 3-2 Stockport (Sep 13)Bradford 0-1 Stockport (Oct 8)Hartlepool 1-3 Bradford (Aug 20)Hartlepool 2-1 Doncaster (Oct 4)Northampton 0-1 Doncaster (Aug 27)Northampton 3-1 Barrow (Sep 3)Barrow 2-1 Walsall (Aug 16)Walsall 3-1 AFC Wimbledon (Oct 8)AFC Wimbledon 2-0 Gillingham (Jul 30)Gillingham 1-0 Sutton (Oct 1)Sutton 2-1 Mansfield (Aug 27)Crewe 1-2 Mansfield (Sep 24)Rochdale 1-2 Crewe (Jul 30)Colchester 0-1 Rochdale (Sep 24)Colchester 2-1 Harrogate (Oct 8)Harrogate 3-0 Swindon (Jul 30)Swindon 1-0 Newport (Oct 4)Leyton Orient 1-2 Newport (Oct 1)Leyton Orient 2-0 Tranmere (Sep 3)Salford 0-1 Tranmere (Sep 17)