Kansas receiver Kerry Meier flashes a smile as he runs in what proved to be the winning touchdown against Missouri late in the fourth quarter Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium.

Any hack who hovers around the Mendoza line in getting the ball onto the green in one from a sand trap, has an even lower batting average hitting fairways and can’t reach a par-four in regulation unless aided by a rock-hard fairway, has no trouble naming the greatest invention in golf history: Handicaps.

The GHIN System, that glorious equalizer, makes losers feel like winners, roughly as often as not.

Similarly, point spreads give gambling fans of football teams in rebuilding mode a second chance at heading home happy that their team enriched them even with a loss.

At least that’s how it generally works.

Unfortunately for Kansas football fans who like to visit sports books in Las Vegas, taking the Jayhawks and the points, sometimes a ton of points, it seldom seems to work well.

Since the hole Kansas football has dug for itself coincides roughly with Mark Mangino’s forced resignation, let’s take a look at how KU has done against the spread on this side of the Mangino Line, per teamrankings.com:

2010: 5-7.

2011: 6-6.

2012: 4-7-1.

2013: 4-8.

2014: 5-7.

2015: 3-9.

2016: 2-5.

Since Turner Gill’s teams went 11-13 against the spread (ATS), a better place to draw the line actually is after Gill. Since the start of 2012, KU’s .333 ATS winning percentage puts it in a tie for last with Connecticut among 128 FBS schools.

Saturday’s Kansas bettors were particularly unlucky. Oklahoma State was favored by 23-1/2 points and won 44-20, further evidence of how deeply the roots of bad luck surrounding KU football burrow.

The Jayhawks haven’t had a winning ATS since going 7-5 in 2008, which capped a remarkable five-year run during which Kansas had a winning ATS record every season and went 36-19-2, including 10-1-1 in 2007.

Pockets jingling while watching Aqib Talib and Chris Harris patrol the secondary, Todd Reesing run for his life and launch accurate bombs to Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier, James McClinton devour blockers, Anthony Collins pancake big, fast men.

KU football fans were so fortunate in so many ways back then. Their luck is bound to take a turn for the better one day, and when it does, look out!