LAWRENCE — Kansas football lost 24-20 on the road this past weekend against Arizona.

The Big 12 Conference defeat saw the Jayhawks (5-5, 3-4 in Big 12) come up short on what could have been the day it became bowl eligible this season. Coach Lance Leipold and company gave up a late lead against the Wildcats and suffered a disappointing defeat. Bowl eligibility is still possible, as KU navigates an open week, but with the loss, reaching that point has become all the more challenging.

How Kansas football’s Lance Leipold described the pick-six at Arizona that was called back

Before Kansas’ season resumes Nov. 22 on the road against Iowa State, here are some bowl projections for the Jayhawks:

This projection places Kansas in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, scheduled for December 26 in Dallas, Texas. It would put the Jayhawks up against Boise State (6-3, 4-1 in Mountain West Conference). Boise State most recently lost against Fresno State, but is still in contention to play for its conference title.

These projections place Kansas in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, scheduled for December 30 in Shreveport, Louisiana. One has KU facing Kennesaw State (7-2, 5-0 in Conference USA), while the other has KU facing Louisiana Tech (5-4, 3-3 in Conference USA). Kennesaw State beat Louisiana Tech earlier this season.

This projection places Kansas in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl, which is set for Dec. 23 in Frisco, Texas. It would put the Jayhawks up against California (6-4, 3-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference). California is coming off of a win against now-No. 21 Louisville.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

The Colorado River Indian Tribes have formally accorded personhood status to the Colorado River, creating a powerful new mechanism to protect the eponymous river that makes life possible in their arid homelands.

• A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is working on a deal to end the 40-day federal government shutdown.
• The emerging agreement would fund the government through January but does not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies.
• Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego of Arizona oppose the deal, citing the lack of health insurance subsidy extensions.

A faction of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans in preliminary steps to end the record-long federal government shutdown, although Arizona’s senators oppose the emerging deal.

On its 40^th day, enough Democrats appeared ready to begin the multi-step legislative process needed to end the shutdown that began Oct. 1.

“It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending,” President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington.

Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego each issued statements Nov. 9 against the short-term spending agreement.

“In the richest country in the world, families shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table and their health care,” Kelly said. “But that’s exactly what Donald Trump has done to Americans with this shutdown.”  

Gallego signaled that he would not be moved by anything less than a deal to preserve the insurance subsidies that expire at the end of the year.

“I have been clear on this from the beginning: I will not turn my back on the 24 million Americans who will see their premiums more than double if we don’t extend these tax credits,” he said.

“At a time when prices are already too high, Americans are shopping for health insurance and experiencing such sticker shock that they are being forced to sign up for a crappy, overpriced plan or not signing up for insurance at all.”

The agreement, which could take several more days to finalize, appears to have enough Democratic support to allow it to move to a vote and would fund the government through January, along with several pieces of the annual budget bill that are supposed to be in place before the start of the federal fiscal year on Oct. 1.

It does not include any extension of the pandemic-era health insurance subsidies for those who buy coverage through the Affordable Care Act, which was the main Democratic demand. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who has been one of the three non-Republicans to consistently vote to end a shutdown, said Republicans had indicated they would allow a vote on the insurance issue.

“I think people were saying ‘We’re not going to get what we want,’ although we still have a chance,” he said, according to the New York Times.

The deal also includes a provision to bring back government workers fired by the Trump administration during the shutdown, said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, who told reporters that was instrumental in moving him to support it.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, remained against the deal, reflecting the deep division within his party.

“On Friday, we offered Republicans a compromise: a proposal that would extend the ACA tax credits for a year and open up the government at the same time,” he said.

“They once again said no, and when they said no on our compromise they showed they are against any health care reform. Instead, they passed the biggest health care cuts in our nation’s history — just to give tax breaks to billionaires.”

When will Adelita Grijalva get sworn in?

The process of approving the plan will require several Senate votes and will necessitate calling the House of Representatives back into session.

That could bring with it the belated swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Arizona, who has been kept officially out of office since she easily won the special election to fill the seat vacated by the March death of her father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.

Grijalva’s arrival in the House is expected to provide the last needed signatory to force the House to vote on publicly releasing the investigative files for Jeffrey Epstein.

The disgraced financier killed himself amid allegations of sex trafficking underage girls to VIPs. Trump is widely believed to be mentioned in the files involving his former friend.

Food benefit cuts and flight cancellations

For weeks, the shutdown had enough exceptions that many Americans could perhaps overlook the stalemate, but it has become more impactful for millions with impending limits on the government’s food benefits program and the growing cancellations of hundreds of domestic flights each day.