Know Your Enemy: Cal Looks To Finish Regular Season With Win Vs. Arizona State

The regular season comes to a close this weekend when Cal hosts Arizona State. With both teams already bowl eligible and out of their respective Pac-12 Division races in the final weekend of regular season play in the conference, there would seem to be little to play for. Not for Cal though, as they look to win the final game of the regular season for the first time in years and establish some momentum leading into the first bowl trip for this senior class. Playing at home against a team that went all out last week against its rival to secure bowl eligibility, while Cal looks to shrug off a loss to Stanford, could be a good spot for Cal. Here is a look at this week's opponent.

Arizona State Head Coach: Todd Graham (4th season at Arizona State, 34-17; 10 years overall, 83-46)

In his fourth season at Arizona State, Todd Graham is looking to finish up his worst season to date with the Sun Devils. It's not all that bad though, as Arizona State has a shot to end the year with a winning record once again under Graham with a win against Cal or in the postseason. Arizona State is Graham's fourth job as a head coach dating back to his first season at Rice in 2006. After four seasons at Tulsa, Graham accepted an offer to be the head coach of Pittsburgh, but he stayed just one year before accepting an offer from Arizona State. If Graham stays in Tempe next season, it will become his longest tenured job as a head coach.

Arizona State At a Glance

Arizona State had reason to be excited about the 2015 season and a potential run to a Pac-12 South championship after back-to-back 10-win seasons. However, things got off on the wrong foot with a loss to Texas A&M in Houston. After stringing together two easy non-conference wins, Arizona State again stumbled against a legitimate opponent when it lost in blowout fashion to USC. That was followed by wins at UCLA and a home win against Colorado to improve to 4-2. Arizona State ran into a wall in the middle of the year though with three straight losses at Utah, home against Oregon in wild fashion and again on the road at surprisingly good Washington State. With bowl hopes on thin ice, Arizona State clinched bowl eligibility with two straight wins against Washington and rival Arizona last week.

Arizona State's offense can be a dangerous one with quarterback Mike Bercovici, who has already surpassed the 3,000-yard mark this season with 22 touchdowns with just nine interceptions thrown. Arizona State tends to bring a well-balanced offensive gameplan to the field every week, and that could end up being a concern for Cal. In addition to having Bercovici passing the football, he can also run a little bit, but the big running threat for the Sun Devils will be Demario Richard (919 yards, seven touchdowns). While offense tends to get all the attention, Arizona State also brings a defense that can play well but has been exposed multiple times this season. The Sun Devils have allowed 30 points or more in six games this season, including 61 to Oregon and 38 to Washington State.

Outlook

Cal will hope the home field advantage comes into play as the Golden Bears seniors look to close out a season with a win for the first time since 2008. While the seniors will be looking to do their part, it will be up to junior quarterback Jared Goff to shine in the big moment. At times this season, in critical moments against worthy opponents, Goff has left points on the field, such as last week's game against Stanford. If this is to be his final game as a Cal player, at least in the regular season, then there is no question he will have to get in the end zone and leave a lasting impression heading into the bowl season and offseason. Cal and Goff could struggle to do that, as Arizona State has given up the third-lowest red zone touchdown percentage to opposing offenses this season among Pac-12 members, with opponents scoring a touchdown 28 times out of 50 red zone trips.

Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.