6. Arizona- Kevin Sumlin
Arizona gets instant credibility with Kevin Sumlin taking over in Tucson. In his 10 years as head coach of Houston and Texas A&M Sumlin’s teams won at least 8 games in all but two seasons. He will be able to recruit Texas and California which will be critical for raising the status of the Wildcat program. Expectations should remain relatively low because Arizona’s roster is not exactly “stacked”.Of every team in the Pac-12, I am most excited to watch Sumlin coach Khalil Tate.
5. Utah- Kyle Whittingham
Only Mike Leach can rival Kyle Whittingham for the “coach who has done more with less”award. It is extremely difficult to recruit and win in Utah. His .665 winning percentage at Utah is impressive, but not nearly as impressive as his career 11-1 bowl record. His team’s identity matches his own, tough, hard-nosed, and relentless. Whittingham also guided the Utah football program through the transition from the Mountain West to Pac-12 conference.
4. Washington- Chris Peterson
It’s hard to believe that the wide receiver coach while I was playing at Oregon would turn out to be such a good college football coach. Peterson literally but Boise State on the college football map and led them to two undefeated seasons and four top 10 finishes. In his latest miracle, Peterson has resurrected the Washington Huskies program from the college football graveyard. The fact that Peterson is #4 on this list just emphasizes how strong the coaching in the Pac-12 is.
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