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Updated: Cal's win against Grambling counts for bowl eligibility

UPDATE (3:30 p.m. ET)

Cal is going to be bowl eligible. The NCAA has said Cal's win over Grambling counts towards bowl eligibility.

The reasons why Cal may not have been able to count the game are below in the original post.

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With six wins, it appears Cal is bowl eligible. However, the Bears may need to win on Saturday against Arizona State to make sure a bowl becomes a reality.

One of Cal's 6 wins came against Grambling, an FCS school. Teams are typically allowed to count a win against an FCS school towards the six-win minimum for bowl eligibility, but Grambling may not fit the FCS criteria.

Why? Those FCS schools need to have awarded an average of 90% of their 63 allotted scholarships over a two year period. According to USA Today, Grambling is a bit under that threshold.

According to Grambling’s 2013-14 financial report to the NCAA — the most recent one available — the school awarded the equivalent of 52.55 football scholarships in 2013-14. However, that document covers only financial aid awarded by athletics department sources — not all forms of aid that can count toward the scholarship limit. In response to an inquiry from USA TODAY Sports, Grambling’s interim assistant athletic director Patricia Simmons said the school’s athletics department and financial aid office had determined the school awarded the equivalent of 56.44 football scholarships, including all countable aid, in 2014-15. That’s fractionally short of meeting the NCAA’s 90% requirement.

Grambling officials are still seeking to compile the all-countable-aid figure for 2013-14, Simmons said Tuesday night.

So for the win against Grambling to count, Cal will need to get a waiver from the NCAA for a "a unique or catastrophic situation” affecting its FCS opponent. A Cal spokesman said the school was confident that Grambling meets the criteria.

Will Cal get a waiver if it's needed? The chances seem pretty good if there's going to be a shortage of six-win teams to fill the 80 available bowl spots for the upcoming bowl season. If the NCAA has to figure out a way to get some 5-7 teams into bowl games, the Bears are an attractive option at 6-6.

Or heck, Cal may not even need a waiver. It the Bears beat the Sun Devils, the waiver becomes a moot point because Cal finishes the season 7-5 and has six wins without the Grambling game.

For more Cal news, visit GoldenBearReport.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!