Texas governor thinks college football will start on time with fans

Add Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to the list of people who believe college football will not only start on time amid the coronavirus pandemic, but that games will have fans inside stadiums on opening weekend. 

Earlier this week, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith told reporters he's hopeful Buckeyes home games could hold anywhere between 20,000 and 50,000 fans this fall depending on updated social distancing guidelines and recommendations. 

As noted by ESPN, Gov. Abbott spoke about the state of college football during a Friday appearance on Austin television station KXAN.

"Once we get to college football season, our goal right now is to have college football season start as planned, with fans in stands," he said. "What we don't know is what the capacity level would be."

Also on Friday, the SEC announced member universities could welcome student-athletes to campuses for voluntary workouts beginning on June 8. The NCAA recently agreed to allow college football players and men's and women's basketball players to return to team facilities for workouts on June 1. 

As of May 22, it's believed NBA, NHL and MLB games played during the summer would occur without spectators. NASCAR and the UFC held multiple events behind closed doors earlier this month.