Cal will know their bowl fate on Sunday, with the Pac-12 Championship game tonight and every other conference championship tomorrow. Cal's bowl placement may depend on whether Utah can find their way into the College Football Playoff or whether the Pac-12 can get two teams into NY6 Bowl games

Right now, Cal has a few possibilities:

EDIT: WAND, an NBC affiliate in Indiana, is reporting that Cal will be playing Illinois in the Redbox Bowl

UPDATE: Utah's loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 title game, all but guarantees the Bears a spot in the Redbox Bowl.

Holiday Bowl, San Diego, CA, December 27th

The most prestigious of Cal's bowl possibilities, the Bears could make the Holiday Bowl if Utah makes the playoff or the Pac-12 gets two teams into NY6 Bowl Games, and the Holiday Bowl select Cal over Washington and Arizona State. Washington, with Chris Petersen coaching his last game, may be the more wanted choice. A likely opponent here would be Michigan.

Redbox Bowl, Santa Clara, CA, December 30th

The likeliest of the bowl scenarios of the Bears regardless of who goes where. Cal's the local team, hasn't played in the bowl since 2008 (when it was the Emerald Bowl), and has had representatives from the bowl at a couple games in 2019. A likely opponent here would be Indiana or Illinois

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX, December 31st

A bowl that the Bears have never been to, the Sun Bowl could be possible if Utah wins the Pac-12 championship, but gets jumped for the playoff, and Oregon doesn't get into another NY6 Bowl. It would require the Redbox Bowl picking Arizona State or Washington over Cal. A potential opponent would be Wake Forest.

Las Vegas Bowl, Las Vegas, NV, December 21st

A possible scenario, but an unlikely one, as it'd have to be another Utah wins the Pac-12, but doesn't make the playoff scenario. Cal last played in Vegas in 2005, and will open against UNLV in Vegas next fall. A likely opponent would be Boise State (if they don't make an NY6 bowl) or Hawaii.

Of these, the likeliest scenario is the Redbox Bowl, which isn't the most appealing option for players, but is the easiest for many Cal fans (and writers, such as yours truly)

Evan Weaver noted earlier this year that "watchlists are for moms." He's made it to the point where the lists start to matter that much more, as he's a finalist for both the Nagurski Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy. This quote came from the Lott Trophy release:

“Evan’s quality of work in the classroom exceeds all previous athletes the past two decades. He has an exceptional ability to show his knowledge with a level of confidence without attitude.” – Stephen Enter, Cal professor

Weaver, an American Studies major at Cal, is up for the IMPACT Trophy alongside Ohio State's Jordan Fuller, Clemson's Isaiah Simmons, and Auburn's Derrick Brown. The award will be presented on December 15th at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, CA.

Weaver leads the nation in tackles with 173 (20 away from the NCAA single season record) and leads the country in Pro Football Focus' defensive stops stat, with 69.

In addition, Ashtyn Davis may be taking home some hardware this weekend, as the senior safety will be headed to Arkansas for the Burlsworth Trophy ceremony as one of three finalists, alongside Georgia's K Rodrigo Blankenship and Michigan State's DE Kenny Willekes. The Burlsworth Trophy goes to the nation's top player who started out as a walk-on. RB Patrick Laird was a finalist a year ago.

Brett Johnson, Cal's true freshman defensive lineman and highest rated recruit in the Bears' 2019 class was one of four true freshmen to play in every game for the Bears this year, and the former Desert Vista star was rewarded for it.

Johnson, with 24 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks (along with a fumble recovery), was named 3rd-team all Freshman by Pro Football Focus. He had 10 pass rushing pressures from the nose guard and 13 defensive stops, starting 7 of 12 games.