Why is Brian Kelly's LSU ranked below Kansas State in Week 12 AP Poll rankings?

The AP Poll is constantly shifting and changing, reinventing itself week to week over the new realities of the college football season. Two teams that once seemed likely to reach the College Football Playoff were the LSU Tigers and Kansas State Wildcats. Each team has had some surprising misfortune which leaves them both on the periphery of that playoff picture.

Despite being in the likely single-bid Big 12, No. 20 Kansas State is still hanging just ahead of SEC powerhouse LSU, ranked No. 21.

Here's a quick breakdown of both teams and a closer look at why KSU is ranked ahead of LSU.

Why is Kansas State ahead of LSU in the AP Poll?

LSU and Brian Kelly will likely miss the CFP this season (Image Credit: IMAGN)

Kansas State's resume

Despite an early loss to unbeaten BYU, Kansas State otherwise was building a stellar Big 12 resume and was highly ranked in the AP Poll. They won a road game at now-No. 25 Tulane and also outlasted No. 18 Colorado in a 31-28 shootout before losing to unranked Houston. The loss threw Kansas State's postseason situation into chaos.

K-State is part of a pack of Big 12 teams sitting at 4-2 in league play. BYU is a perfect 6-0, while Colorado is at 5-1. Any playoff hopes for Kansas State will then rely on a pair of additional league losses for Colorado. A single loss could draw the Wildcats into a multi-team playoff that might work out for Kansas State.

But lapping Colorado seems difficult, which is why ESPN's FPI gives Kansas State just a 15.8% chance of reaching the playoff, basically identical to their 14.6% shot at winning the Big 12. The conference crown – after the second loss – is the only realistic Kansas State path to the playoff.

LSU's resume

After a season-opening loss to a USC team that turned out to be awful, LSU had done quite well. The Tigers rattled off six wins in a row, including wins over now-No. 23 South Carolina and No. 10 Ole Miss. But with LSU in the midst of the SEC race, the Tigers have now taken consecutive losses to No. 15 Texas A&M and No. 9 Alabama.

LSU is now 2-2 against ranked teams but doesn't have much of a chance to gain poll ground. Vanderbilt is the best opponent remaining on the schedule and there's not a ton of prestige to be gained there. A 9-3 LSU team is intriguing, but probably still on the outside of the playoff. The Tigers have just a 7.2% chance per ESPN's FPI.

Should Kansas State be ranked ahead of LSU?

Kansas State does boast a 2-1 mark against ranked teams, as opposed to the 2-2 record of LSU. That said, LSU does have a better win, as Kansas State's top team defeated is No. 18 Colorado, while the Tigers beat No. 10 Ole Miss.

Kansas State has a deceptively challenging schedule the rest of the way, as they face Arizona State and Iowa State, who was ranked until a bad loss last week. As things stand, neither team will play another ranked opponent. Additionally, neither team has much of a shot at their respective conference titles.

There's arguably not a substantive difference between Kansas State and LSU. But the Wildcats were off last week, while LSU took a brutal beating from Alabama. Kansas State makes sense ahead of LSU in the polls, even if many won't agree.

What do you think of LSU and Kansas State's latest rankings in the AP Poll? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.