This offseason, a third of the Pac-12 changed coaches.

Depending on how the 2022 season plays out for a number of the other teams in the league, we could see more coaching turnover later. With some new faces around the league, there’s a new No. 1 in CBS Sports’ Pac-12 coaching rankings. Utah’s Kyle Whittingham held the top spot in the Pac-12 last season, per CBS Sports, but with Lincoln Riley’s arrival in Los Angeles, the new No. 1 coaches for USC.

Here’s what CBS Sports’ David Cobb had to say on Riley:

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. 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.

Whittingham didn’t drop much though. He’s the clear No. 2 among the rest of the coaches and a top-10 coach nationally in CBS Sports’ estimation. Here’s what Cobb wrote on the Utah man:

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. 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.

A matchup between Utah and USC on Oct. 15 in Salt Lake City figures to factor heavily into the conference title race this upcoming season. USC will bring its retooled offense and bevy of playmakers. Utah will bring a powerful run game and its tried and true brand of physicality. Maybe the guys wearing the headsets on the sidelines can tip the scales in that one.

Here’s the rest of the ranking:

  1. Lincoln Riley, USC
  2. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
  3. Chip Kelly, UCLA
  4. David Shaw, Stanford
  5. Jonathan Smith, Oregon State
  6. Justin Wilcox, Cal
  7. Kalen DeBoer, Washington
  8. Dan Lanning, Oregon
  9. Herm Edwards, Arizona State
  10. Karl Dorrell, Colorado
  11. Jedd Fisch, Arizona
  12. Jake Dickert, Washington State