CBS Sports ranks all Pac-12 football coaches 1-12

The Pac-12 has been in the news all week for multiple reasons regarding their future, but David Cobb of CBS Sports decided to focus on the now.

To illustrate, the CBS Sports expert ranked the head football coaches of the conference from No. 1 to No. 12. While there are plenty of old faces in new places — like Lincoln Riley and Dan Lanning — will that be enough to knock off the old guard, led by coaches like Kyle Whittingham of Utah?

Here’s Cobb’s rankings of the leaders of the Pac-12 programs, with tremendous coaches littered throughout the list.

Pac-12 head football coach rankings, per CBS Sports:

1) Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans

“Riley actually dropped a spot in our national rankings this year, but he debuts at No. 1 in his new conference after amassing a 55-10 record with three CFP appearances in five seasons at Oklahoma,” began Cobb. “Still young at just 38, and with a stacked group of playmakers at his disposal for Year 1, Riley is expected to execute an instant turnaround and have the Trojans back in the Pac-12 title mix this season.”

2) Kyle Whittingham, Utah Utes

“Given that Whittingham ranked No. 1 in the league last year and won the Pac-12 title, it seems absurd that he’s dropping a spot ahead of the 2022 season,” wrote Cobb. “But that’s the Lincoln Riley effect.

“Whittingham did rise six spots in the overall Power Five coach rankings as he enters his 18th season with a 144-70 record.”

3) Chip Kelly, UCLA Bruins

“It took four seasons, but Kelly finally got the Bruins back above .500 with an 8-4 record last year,” started Cobb. “The Bruins’ 2022 schedule ranks as the Pac-12’s easiest, and with Dorian Thompson-Robinson back for a fifth season at quarterback, there is room to keep building.

“On the whole, Kelly’s tenure hasn’t met expectations relative to what he accomplished at Oregon, but he’s in a good place entering Year 5.”

4) David Shaw, Stanford Cardinal

“With an 11-19 record over the past three seasons and minimal external expectations for the 2022 season, Stanford has departed from the Rose Bowl trajectory it enjoyed earlier in Shaw’s tenure,” explained the CBS expert. “The proliferation of transferring makes life tough at a school with such high academic standards.

“However, Shaw’s 93-45 record over 11 seasons is enough to land him comfortably in the top half of this ranking.”

5) Jonathan Smith, Oregon State Beavers

“Smith is the biggest riser in this year’s ranking after leading Oregon State to a breakthrough season in his fourth year on the sideline,” proclaimed Cobb. “The Beavers finished 7-5 (5-4 Pac-12) in the regular season with wins over typical conference powers like Utah, USC and Washington.

“When the former OSU quarterback took over, the Beavers were coming off a three-year stretch with a 7-29 record, so he’s done well to get his alma mater back to respectability.”

6) Justin Wilcox, California Golden Bears

“There is no questioning the defensive bona fides of Wilcox, whose defensive coordinator success with several big brands has translated fine on that side of the ball in his first head coaching gig,” Cobb wrote. “But the 45-year-old is losing his luster as a head coach because of the complete ineptitude of Cal’s offenses under coordinator Bill Musgrave during a 6-10 stretch over the last two seasons.”

7) Kalen DeBoer, Washington Huskies

“DeBoer led Fresno State to a 9-3 record last year in just his second season as an FBS head coach,” harkened Cobb. “The 47-year-old former Indiana offensive coordinator now inherits a Washington program in desperate need of an offensive jolt after finishing 114th in total offense last season.

“The schedule is favorable enough that DeBoer should be able to guide the Huskies back to bowl eligibility after a 4-8 season.”

8) Dan Lanning, Oregon Ducks

“Lanning deserved a head coaching position after his work as defensive coordinator at Georgia, but this is a daunting place to learn on the fly,” theorized the CBS expert. “Oregon has made three straight Pac-12 title game appearances and there likely won’t be an extended grace period just because Lanning is 36 and working in the Pac-12 North for the first time.

“Recruiting at an elite level won’t get easier for Lanning amid the uncertainty surrounding Oregon’s future conference home.”

9) Herm Edwards, Arizona State Sun Devils

“Edwards takes the furthest fall in this season’s ranking, even after leading Arizona State to an 8-5 record in his fourth season,” Cobb added. “More was expected from a team that started 5-1, and the NCAA investigation into the program’s alleged recruiting violations only compounds the underwhelming on-field results.

“With top recruiter Antonio Pierce out amid the controversy, it’s unclear if the Sun Devils will remain a perennial bowl team under Edwards.”

10) Karl Dorrell, Colorado Buffaloes

“Dorrell’s 4-2 mark in 2020 during his first season seemed to portend good things for the Buffs, but last season’s 4-8 mark and a brutal transfer cycle that included the loss of leading rusher Jarek Broussard have Colorado on a bleak trajectory entering the 2022 season,” the CBS expert wrote. “It doesn’t help that CU plays one of the league’s toughest schedules this year.”

11) Jedd Fisch, Arizona Wildcats

“Fisch is up one spot in the league ranking and improved three spots in the overall Power Five ranking, so it’s not all bad after a 1-11 debut season for the former journeyman NFL and college assistant,” Cobb stated. “The Wildcats were at least competitive in his first season, and now that he’s got a solid QB in Washington State transfer Jayden de Laura, Fisch can give us a more accurate picture of his ability as a program builder.”

12) Jake Dickert, Washington State Cougars

“Dickert did an excellent job of stabilizing Washington State following a tumultuous ending to Nick Rolovich’s tenure in the middle of last season,” started Cobb. “Now, the former defensive coordinator and interim coach gets his shot as a Pac-12 head coach less than a decade after he was a Division III defensive coordinator.

“The decision to bring in Incarnate Word coach Eric Morris as offensive coordinator could prove to be a stroke of genius that makes Dickert a rapid riser in this ranking next year.”