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Oregon long ago clinched the Pac-12 North's berth in next week's conference championship game, and the South's contestant will be decided on the second-to-last day of the schedule.
UCLA can earn the bid with a victory over Stanford. If the Bruins lose, the berth will go to the Arizona-Arizona State winner in a game that kicks off at the same time (1:30 p.m. MST) Friday in Tucson.
More than any team in the Pac-12, UCLA has made a strong move in the second half of the season. Coach Jim Mora described his team as "probably a little uptight early in the season, with all the high expectations." The Bruins have responded well after October losses to Utah and Oregon, followed by narrow victories over California and Colorado.
"We've matured greatly," said Mora, who counts six scholarship players among the 12 seniors who will be honored Friday. The school's news release names five seniors who have experienced "consistent action" this season.
UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley, a fourth-year junior, is expected to enter the NFL Draft, but the Bruins will have most of their personnel returning in 2015.
Stanford will miss receiver Ty Montgomery on Friday, due to an injury. That's a blow to Arizona and ASU, which need help from the Cardinal. Stanford has clinched bowl eligibility after beating California last week, but will be motivated in a game that coach David Shaw labeled "a rivalry in and of itself."
Stanford plays USC and UCLA every year, while rotating other opponents from the South.
In the Territorial Cup game vs. ASU, Arizona hopes quarterback Anu Solomon will be available after he missed the second half of a win over Utah with an ankle injury.
Reviewing the reviews
Cal coach Sonny Dykes welcomed the Pac-12's acknowledgment of mistakes by replay officials in his team's 38-17 loss to Stanford, saying, "You want the same level of accountability" as coaches face.
During an almost absurd sequence, the Bears scored apparent touchdowns on three straight plays — and each time, the result was overturned after a review. That shouldn't have happened on either of the last two plays, the conference said.
Cal's field goal cut Stanford's lead to 31-10, so the incorrect rulings didn't affect the outcome. Dykes was bothered by the stoppages of play as much as the wrong decisions, saying that lengthy commercial breaks and reviews have a "negative impact on the product."
Fighting for bowl bids
The remaining variables in the Pac-12's postseason picture are how many teams will be selected to New Year's Six bowls and whether or not Cal and Oregon State will become bowl-eligible Saturday.
The conference is likely to have Oregon in the four-team College Football Playoff and UCLA in another CFP-affiliated bowl. That probably would send the Arizona-Arizona State winner to the Alamo Bowl and the loser to the Holiday Bowl.
USC, Utah, Stanford and Washington also are bowl-eligible. The Pac-12's bowls are allowed to choose any school they want, with some provisions protecting higher-positioned teams in standings. Cal can join the list by beating BYU; Oregon State would have to upset Oregon.
Devils become disciplined
There's some argument about the correlation between penalty yards and winning or losing, but there's no denying that Arizona State has cut down its number of infractions since coach Todd Graham took over in 2012.
This season, the Sun Devils have lost only 36 penalty yards per game. Graham partly credits the program's "value system," while citing the practical lessons of having officials talk to the team about exactly what constitutes a penalty.