Tressel says Beanie now 'doubtful' for USC game

He said the Buckeyes' playbook would not be severely hampered by Wells' absence. But he did say that it still might come as a shock to Wells' teammates if he cannot play in a game of this magnitude.

"Our guys have seen that we've practiced for quite some time without him," Tressel said. "I suppose maybe when you get to the realization that, OK, maybe he won't play, then perhaps there's a 'Man!' type of thing. But we've got to go (on)."

USC coach Pete Carroll said he's expecting Wells to play.

"Doubtful doesn't mean he's not playing," Carroll said after practice. "We're still going to prepare like everybody's playing. We're just going about our business. We're planning on him playing."

Defensive end Kyle Moore hopes Wells is able to give it a go.

"I want their team to be 100 percent, I don't want any excuses," Moore said. "Our team's going to be at 100 percent. We'll see who comes out the best Saturday."

Defensive tackle Fili Moala seemed surprised at the news.

"I hadn't heard that," he said. "You never know with these types of things. He's a competitor, I'm sure he'd like to be out there. We're prepared as if he's going to play. The other running backs are all very capable. (But) they're not Beanie Wells."