NCAA Football Rankings 2019: Analyzing Week 12 Polls, Top 25 College Standings

The college football regular season is winding down, but there's still so much more to be decided.

Through 11 weeks, LSU and Ohio State are the clear top two teams in the country. But any missteps over the next few weeks, and things could turn worse for the Tigers and Buckeyes, as their respective conferences are filled with strong teams waiting to strike.

The College Football Playoff selection committee has already started evaluating the programs, as last week marked its first rankings of the season. Its next rankings will be released Tuesday.

Until then, here's a look at the latest AP Top 25 poll, followed by a breakdown of the current landscape for the College Football Playoff picture.

Week 12 AP Top 25 poll

1. LSU (9-0)

2. Ohio State (9-0)

3. Clemson (10-0)

4. Alabama (8-1)

5. Georgia (8-1)

6. Oregon (8-1)

7. Minnesota (9-0)

8. Utah (8-1)

9. Penn State (8-1)

10. Oklahoma (8-1)

11. Florida (8-2)

12. Baylor (9-0)

13. Auburn (7-2)

14. Michigan (7-2)

15. Wisconsin (7-2)

16. Notre Dame (7-2)

17. Cincinnati (8-1)

18. Memphis (8-1)

19. Boise State (8-1)

20. SMU (9-1)

21. Navy (7-1)

22. Texas (6-3)

23. Iowa (6-3)

24. Indiana (7-2)

25. Oklahoma State (6-3)

College Football Playoff Picture

Although the second edition of this season's College Football Playoff rankings won't be released until Tuesday, the most recent AP poll and the first CFP rankings, which were released last Tuesday, can help give us an idea of what the committee could be thinking this week.

First, LSU will likely move into the top spot after being ranked No. 2 in the first CFP rankings. The Tigers notched a win over Alabama, which was No. 3 in last week's rankings, to continue their impressive start to the season with their ninth consecutive win.

No team in the country currently has a resume better than LSU, which also has quality wins over Texas, Auburn and Florida, so it's worthy of the top spot.

However, Ohio State is still impressing, too, so it should slot in at No. 2 behind LSU. The Buckeyes improved to 9-0 with a win over Maryland this past Saturday, and they're in control of their own destiny in the Big Ten and the College Football Playoff picture.

If Ohio State keeps winning, especially its final two regular-season games against Penn State and Michigan, then it has nothing to worry about in terms of whether it will make the Playoff. Minnesota and Penn State could also work their way up the rankings into the top four depending on how the rest of the Big Ten season unfolds.

While LSU and Ohio State will remain the top two teams this week, there will be some changes below that.

Alabama will at least drop to No. 4 and could potentially drop out of the top four completely. The Crimson Tide don't have any huge wins this year, as their eight victories all came against teams that are currently unranked. It's possible the committee keeps the Tide at No. 4 for now, but teams below them could emerge to be more worthy over the next several weeks.

Meanwhile, Clemson was kept out of the top four in the initial CFP rankings, sitting at No. 5 despite its undefeated start. The Tigers improved to 10-0 with a win over N.C. State this past Saturday, and it's likely they'll move up to No. 3 or No. 4 after Alabama and Penn State both lost.

While Clemson may move into a potential Playoff spot, it can't afford any losses or near defeats. The Tigers haven't had a tough schedule, and that won't change in the next few weeks, so they're going to need to keep winning in impressive fashion.

The Big 12 champion could also be in the CFP conversation, whether that turns out to be Oklahoma or Baylor. The Sooners have one loss, which came at Kansas State, while the Bears are undefeated. The two teams go head-to-head on Saturday, and it's quite possible they could face off again in the conference championship game.

It's also possible the Pac-12 champion could have a case to make the CFP, whether that ends up being Oregon or Utah. For that to happen, one of those teams needs to win the rest of its games, which will likely include facing the other in the conference championship game.