Ohio Governor Mike DeWine realizes it’s still too early to make a decision on whether or not college football will be able to return this fall. He’s not about to make any guarantees or promises with so much uncertainty still surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

But DeWine appears to be increasingly optimistic that college football, and the rest of college sports, could be making a return by the time fall rolls around. In a recent interview with the Toledo Blade, DeWine said that he has renewed his Ohio State football tickets and thinks there’s a way to get the season started this year.

“Well, look, first of all, it’s much, much too early,” DeWine told the Toledo Blade. “The one thing we’ve found about this virus is there’s a lot we don’t know about it. We’re going to have to respect for it.

“I would certainly think they could figure out how to [have a college football] season. Can we go watch them? I think it’s much too early to be making that [decision].”

The return of college football has become quite the hot topic around sports, with no consistent answers along the way. Some college presidents have talked about planning a return to campuses for the fall semester, which would create momentum to have the sport return this season. Yet Oregon Governor Kate Brown suggested late last week that large gatherings, including sporting events, would likely need to be canceled or significantly modified through September.

Ohio State is scheduled to travel to Eugene to take on the Ducks on Sept. 12.

Conferences, and perhaps even schools and states, could be divided on the return of college football this season. Still, presidents, commissioners and athletic directors are working on several contingency plans that could help get the sport back, even if it’s a modified version.