Football’s been stressing everyone out. Too tense. Way too serious. There is a real need to relax.

Take a moment. Breathe in. Hold it. Let it out. Ahhhh. That always helps me feel better. Of course, it helps when you picture someone else taking that deep breath. Lately, it’s been Missy Peregrym, but go with who works for you.

Anyways, the college basketball season is creeping closer. Athlon and Lindy’s both have previews on the periodical racks. They put Pitt at #21 and #17.

ESPN.com also has a little teaser as it gets to the Big East in its “Conference Shootaround.”

The Panthers don’t play glamorous basketball, but it’s definitely effective, especially on the offensive end. Aaron Gray, Antonio Graves and Levon Kendall are gone, but Levance Fields (assuming resolution of his legal issues), Mike Cook and Ronald Ramon all return. Add in Sam Young, Keith Benjamin and Tyrell Biggs, who all showed flashes in more limited minutes, and the Panthers may look different this season but could score with similar effectiveness.

Jay Bilas puts Pitt at 6th in the Big East this season.

Jamie Dixon has another solid group that should be back in the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers have good guards, are experienced and understand how to win. In short, Pitt has a program, not just a few good teams. Dixon needs to resolve the Levance Fields situation, but even without Fields, this is an NCAA Tournament team.

The questions remain about what will happen with Levance Fields. Damn. Now I need to take a few more deep breaths.