Football fans know the August calendar instinctively.

At the beginning, high spirits and high expectations. In the middle, high anxiety.

It happens every summer. It happens regardless of team and temperature, regardless of returning veterans and incoming recruits.

It often happens due to the predictable nature of the human body. Out of 100 bodies pressed into heat-stressed service, some are bound to break, tear, strain, sprain, creak or - in that trendy and medically nonsensical term - tweak. These days, some merely catch bugs.

The day Duke opened the locker room door for football camp, the swine flu answered present and checked out a helmet. Coach David Cutcliffe estimated Friday that nearly half the squad had experienced at least some mild symptoms. Several players suffered worse, requiring monitoring and quarantines (but no hospital stays).

"We're leading the country in antiseptic," Cutcliffe said. "I wash my hands about 38 times a day, minimum."

Cutcliffe doesn't portray the suspected H1N1 virus as the disruptive force it might have become without prompt measures by Duke's medical staff. Most episodes have tended to last two or three days. "I'm now convinced if you're going to get sick, this is the place to do it, right here at Duke University," Cutcliffe said.

In recent seasons, most Duke fans got sick on opening day and stayed that way - or stayed away. The Blue Devils won four games - total - in the four seasons before Cutcliffe arrived and lost 25 straight ACC games. His 4-8 debut and landmark victory over Virginia revived support and backed his contention that Duke could flourish again.

That's why the swine flu elevated fears of another football barbecue in the Wallace Wade Stadium end zone. Duke returns quarterback Thaddeus Lewis and defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase but loses linebacker Michael Tauiliili, the ACC's leading tackler and a third-team AP All-America.

Is there enough defensive force to add another win or two? Enough depth to escape the bottom? The answers remain elusive three weeks before the home opener against Richmond, the NCAA playoff division champion that eliminated Appalachian State last year. At least Cutcliffe only has to worry about the flu intruding on camp, not lazy legs induced by a defeatist attitude.

"I've had a disease of not wanting to practice before by a lot of them," he said, "but I've got a medicine for that. I know what to do for that, but this one I haven't had to deal with before."

Elsewhere, conventional medical reports and failures to report disturb the equilibrium. ACC favorite Virginia Tech lost tailback Darren Evans, the 1,265-yard runner projected as the offense's power pack.

North Carolina doubled its victory total last year, finishing 8-5 after a 31-30 bowl defeat against West Virginia in which first-round pick Hakeem Nicks caught three touchdown passes. The Tar Heels also lost receivers Brandon Tate and Brooks Foster.

The upshot: Coach Butch Davis might rely more on his ground game. The hang-up: Runners need blockers, and Carolina's offensive line keeps getting thinner.
Aaron Stahl, a starter at guard and center, decided to pass up his last year of eligibility after graduating. Backup Kevin Bryant, the largest lineman at 6-7, 350 pounds, had legal issues and never reported to camp. Tackle Carl Gaskins tore a knee ligament.

The coaches expect receivers to emerge from the pack, but the line problems could complicate the balance between a swarming defense and unproven offense.
Wake Forest represents the reflection in the mirror. The Deacons, gunning for a fourth straight bowl trip on quarterback Riley Skinner's last lap, lost four defensive starters in the pro draft, including first-round millionaire Aaron Curry.

The presumed strategy: Dominant offense must haul the ball as the revised defense matures. The rub: John Russell and Boo Robinson don't have much experienced support in the middle of the defensive line beyond Michael Lockett because junior Michael Carter became academically ineligible.

This seems like a minor irritant, a hypothetical problem unless exhaustion and attrition raise the stakes. With new contenders fighting for defensive jobs and offensive lineman Chris DeGeare coming back strong, optimism prevails three weeks before Wake Forest kicks off against Baylor.

Appalachian State has overcome the initial shock of quarterback Armanti Edwards' yard-maintenance accident. Edwards lost control of a gas-powered push mower and cut his right foot badly enough to require 30 stitches. He may or may not play in the high-voltage opener at East Carolina, the reigning Conference USA champ.

The real question: Will Edwards recover sufficiently to make beautiful music in the playoffs?

N.C. State got that bowling feeling last fall, winning four straight down the stretch behind Russell Wilson, the first freshman named All-ACC quarterback.

Hopes grew wildly - at least until the early morning hours of July 28, when linebacker Nate Irving evidently fell asleep at the wheel and crashed. The injuries were quite serious: compound fracture in one leg, broken rib, collapsed lung, separated shoulder.

Last week, after consulting his doctor, Irving announced that he would sit out the season.

At one level, the loss of the team's best player obviously reduces State's prowess. At another level, Coach Tom O'Brien plows on and pulls his players with him.

O'Brien started three seasons at defensive end for Navy, the last in 1970. He has coached nearly ever since, which toughens the skin.

He will use sophomore Dwayne Maddox or redshirt freshman Terrell Manning in Irving's slot. He will get work for Wilson's backup, Mike Glennon, before halftime of the South

Carolina opener. He will keep studying his kicking options.

O'Brien seems immune to high expectations and high anxiety. That's why he's different than the average fan, especially in August.