First, a programming note: I'll be on vacation, without a working phone, for the next week. The rest of the staff will handle the Duke football duties leading up to and including the game against FIU, so be sure to check the site's main Duke page throughout the week and follow me on twitter (@laurakeeley), as I've rigged my feed to automatically post new stories as they appear on the site.

My season preview, complete with a lengthy look at how, exactly, Conner Vernon ended up at Duke will run in Tuesday's paper, so look for that to appear online Monday night. 

See you next Sunday.

Switching directions, we are officially seven days from the start of Duke's college football season. I wrote a camp wrap-up for today's paper focusing on Brandon Connette's new role, the possibility of a stronger run game, and, of course, all of the injuries.

With Jordon Byas joining the list of starters lost for the season Friday, I actually went and revised my prediction for Duke's record. There are just so many missing players, and the schedule is just so unfavorable. I'm not sure the Blue Devils have caught a lucky break in the five years David Cutcliffe has been in Durham. But that's football.

Know one thing, though, in case it isn't obvious: Cutcliffe and his staff work incredibly hard. They're fully committed to turning the program around and are constantly looking for any type of advantage. Case in point: the Blue Devils ditched their old, paper playbooks and have become one of the first teams to go completely digital. In case you missed the story earlier in the week, give it a read. It's pretty intriguing technology. 

And then there were five.

With the Friday afternoon announcement that S Jordon Byas had undergone surgery to repair a torn left meniscus, Duke has now lost five projected starters. The first indication that Byas was injured came Tuesday, when he did not play in the Blue Devils' final scrimmage.

In Byas's place was Jeremy Cash, the Ohio State transfer whose transfer waiver to play this year was denied Tuesday.

Earlier this week, Duke announced that Taylor Sowell, who sandwiched Byas and Cash on the depth chart, was out for the year as well with a ruptured Achillies tendon.

To review, here is the list of Blue Devils out indefinitely:

WR Blair Holliday (head), TE Braxton Deaver (fractured left kneecap), NG Jamal Bruce (right foot) and LB Kelby Brown (right ACL) were all projected to start. And key backups including LG Lucas Patrick (fractured left ankle), Jared Boyd (ACL) and DE Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo (ankle) are all still recovering from offseason injuries and also do not have timetables for their returns.

Here at the N&O, we were all ready to go for the first Duke vs. UNC Valentine’s Day date since 1945. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, but Mike Krzyzewski will, for the first time in his life, get to spend his birthday coaching against the Tar Heels.

While at Duke, Krzyzewski has coached on his birthday 11 times. Considering that Feb. 13 is in the middle of conference play, I would have expected it to happen more often.  Anyway, Duke is 7-4 on that date, and all of the Blue Devils struggles have come courtesy of one team.

Many late nights await Mason Plumlee and the rest of the Blue Devils this season. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY-cliddy@newsobserver.com

Mark your calendars for these ACC matchups, which were released by the league office Wednesday:

Blair Holliday, seen here last season against Tulane, continues to make progress after his jet ski accident. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY-cliddy@newsobserver.com

When Blair Holliday was critically injured in a July 4 jet ski accident, no one knew what to expect as far as his recovery.

So far, he has exceeded even his doctors' expectations, and Wednesday, he walked without assistance for the first time.

Duke freshman Rasheed Sulaimon proves with this Instagram picture of accumulated snakes snacks in his dorm room that Duke students, at least, aren't above eating Pop-Tarts. 

...Honestly, this is a question I have never considered prior to this evening.

And, no, I didn't think of it because I was eating or craving a rectangle of empty-calories and all (or at least mostly) fake ingredients. It came to my attention thanks to a story in The Daily Tar Heel, the UNC student newspaper. Apparently, UNC student stores and Walmarts in the Triangle will soon start selling Pop-Tarts with a UNC logo on them. Similar marketing campaigns will happen at Michigan State, Florida State, Arkansas and Georgia.

The article doesn't say why these schools were picked, but UNC sophomore Julie Brown offers her theory:

Sophomore Julie Brown said she thinks Kellogg’s picked UNC for its fan base.

“They chose us because Carolina fans are the most school spirited, and they’re going to sell the most — it’s all about money, and Duke fans are above eating Pop-Tarts.”

Well, huh. I'm not sure why Julie Brown thinks Duke fans are above eating Pop-Tarts—whether it's a left-handed elitist criticism, a compliment on Duke fans' perceived well-balanced diets or something else—but, whatever the reason, the statement strikes me as slightly absurd. 

So, Internet, does anyone have an opinion: are Duke fans above eating Pop-Tarts? 

Oh, and, by the way, in case these Pop-Tarts don't fly off the shelves, no big deal—apparently Pop-Tarts have a shelf life of one year (see: ingredients, fake, above...)

8:55 p.m. update: Jonathan Bishop, @CameronCrazy336, made a nice point:

@laurakeeley @dailytarheel. Its bc most fans of UNC are "Wal-Mart fans" . Duke fans would rather eat real pastries or cream puffs

As, in, Brian Zoubek cream puffs. Virtual hat tip to Jonathan.

In the first major injury news from the preseason, Duke S Taylor Sowell had surgery Monday to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon in his right leg, the team announced in a statement. Sowell, a redshirt junior who was listed as the backup to Jordon Byas at the "strike" safety position on the summer depth chart, has played 80 career snaps and registered six tackles last season. He will miss the entire season.

While Sowell is the first casualty from the fall, the Blue Devils came into camp with several players out indefinitely. WR Blair Holliday (head), TE Braxton Deaver (fractured left kneecap), NG Jamal Bruce (right foot) and LB Kelby Brown (right ACL) were all projected to start. And key backups including LG Lucas Patrick (fractured left ankle), Jared Boyd (ACL) and DE Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo (ankle) are all still recovering from offseason injuries and also do not have timetables for their returns.

Mike Krzyzewski's consumer appeal has grown significantly since he took over Team USA. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY- cliddy@newsobserver.com

If you haven't seen my Sunday story on Mike Krzyzewski and how the Olympics have endeared him to UNC and NC State fans (at least right now), check it out if you have the time. 

One of my favorite nuggets from that story is the part on his Q score. That number, which is used to measure the commercial appeal of programs, brands and people, is a function of awareness (how many people know who or what you are) and likability (of those that know you, do they have postive reactions to you). 

Now, no one is about to confuse me with Sofia Coppola, but I did manage to shoot this clip of Sean Renfree's 15-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Connette in Duke's Friday scrimmage (read all about the do-it-all Connette and said scrimmage here).

A viewing guide: Connette (18) lines at at tight end on the left side of the formation. He runs a nice little seam route and catches the ball in the end zone despite Jordan Byas's (38) best effort at safety. Connette said catching passes, specifically catching pass in traffic, has been the hardest adjustment to his new role, but, as you can see, he has made some progress in that area. 

Duke freshman DB Hud Mellencamp signs autographs for fans. Credit: yours truly, lkeeley@newsobserver.com

Sunday marked the first day of camp without any on-the-field work for Duke. The term "off day" might not be completely appropriate though, as the team was planning on going to church and lunch together as well as getting in some classroom work. Below, though, is a recap from Saturday's Meet the Blue Devils day, which was attended by 1,500 fans—the biggest crowd in at least 25 years (no Duke officials cold vouch for further back than that).

DURHAM—“Upgraded Swag” is the term DE Kenny Anunike used to describe Duke’s new helmets at the annual Meet the Blue Devils day this weekend. But, really, that term could be applied to the way the Blue Devils feel about the program in its entirety.