FORT WORTH, Texas _ College football being played as scheduled this fall continues to become more realistic. Friday served as a promising day on multiple fronts as colleges prepare to operate amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told Austin-based KXAN that he expects the college football season to start on time with fans in the stands, even if it's limited capacity. "My prediction is yes, we are going to have college football beginning as scheduled," he said.
The SEC announced that it would reopen campuses for voluntary workouts for football and basketball players starting June 8. The NCAA announced earlier this week that voluntary workouts could resume as early as June 1.
"Under plans developed by each university and consistent with state and local health directives, certain activities will be permitted based on the ability to participate in controlled and safe environments, while also maintaining recommended social distancing measures," the SEC said in a statement.
Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork is supportive of the decision, saying his university is "ready for this moment."
The SEC is the first Power Five conference to set a date for athletes to begin returning to campus.
The Big 12 is still expected to have a return to activity date of June 15 at the earliest, possibly even July 1, according to a source. The conference chancellors and presidents will make the final decision and are expected to meet again next week.
The general belief is that in order to properly prepare for a season, football teams will need at least six weeks _ two weeks of weight training and conditioning work followed by four weeks of training camp.
Fourteen schools scheduled to play Week Zero on Aug. 29, but most college football teams, including every Big 12 school, are supposed to play Week 1, Sept. 3-5. TCU is set to open its season at Cal in Berkeley, California, on Sept. 5.
Going off the six-week philosophy, teams must begin preparing for a season by mid-July at the latest.
Another lingering question outside of when football season will begin is whether fans will be in the stands. Abbott would like to see fans in the stands at the start of the season, and so would Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby.
Bowlsby expressed optimism that fans would be able to attend games in a limited capacity.
"It really depends on how things go between now and then," Bowlsby said during an interview on SiriusXM's Big 12 Radio on Friday. "I think it's fair to ask the question: If it's safe for the kids to be on the field in close contact to one another, why wouldn't it be safe for fans to be in the stands at social distance?
"Now you take an 80,000-seat stadium, though, and you might end up with 20,000 people there."
Bowlsby said the conference has hired a consultant to specifically advise on disinfecting all of its campuses' facilities.
For now, though, signs are promising for football to return by the fall.
