I’m generally not a big fan of computer rankings, but thought I would check out the 2013 college football Sagarin ratings to see how Duke ranked since Kansas will be playing a road game there Sept. 13.

Sagarin didn’t think as highly of the Blue Devils (42nd) as did the Associated Press college football voters (23rd).

By the way, Sagarin lumps FBS and FCS schools into the same ratings, which makes it particularly dicey considering the disparity of schedules. It’s next to impossible to compare teams from the two different divisions, but it still might make for interesting fodder for Kansas football fans to consider that Turner Gill’s current school, Liberty University (116), ranked ahead of his former school KU (119) in the 2013 Sagarin ratings.

Pardon the lobbing of that grenade into cyberspace. Back to Duke.

Football fans everywhere go through their favorite team’s schedule, game-by-game, to try to guess at a record for the upcoming season. My guess is that because Duke has 17 starters returning from a nationally ranked team and Kansas has lost its last 27 games played outside of Lawrence, everybody is marking that as a loss for Kansas.

Certainly, Duke will be heavily favored, but calling an upset is not an outrageous reach.

Duke has a terrific senior quarterback in Anthony Boone, an All-ACC receiver and game-breaking return man in Jamison Crowder, and a good running back in Josh Snead back. The Blue Devils have an explosive offense, but their defense ranked 83rd in the nation by allowing 5.67 yards per play and they lost their three best defensive linemen.

Plus, Duke no longer will have the advantage of sneaking up on people and can’t play the no-respect angle after a 10-4 season.

Certainly Duke’s offensive skill players are a handful for any defense, but it’s not as if Duke necessarily will beat up Kansas in the trenches the way many Big 12 opponents routinely do.

KU visits Duke a week after its season-opener vs. Southeast Missouri State.

Let’s assume Kansas upsets Duke to improve to 2-0. Stop me when I get to a game you think KU would have no shot at winning: Central Michigan, Texas, at West Virginia, Oklahoma State. OK, so you stopped me at Oklahoma State. Might KU, which ranked behind Liberty in the Sagarin ratings in 2013, start 2014 5-0?

All I’m saying is there’s a chance.