College Football | Ohio State's Chris "Beanie" Wells leaving for NFL draft

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells is giving up his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft.

Wells, one of seven Ohio State juniors who were considering making the early jump, issued a statement Thursday saying the move is in the best interest of his family.

Wells fought nagging injuries much of his career at Ohio State. He was considered a Heisman Trophy candidate before missing three full games this season with a right foot injury, but still managed to run for 1,197 yards.

He saw limited action in the second half of Monday's Fiesta Bowl due to symptoms of a concussion, finishing with 106 yards on 16 carries in the Buckeyes' 24-21 loss to Texas.

In three seasons at Ohio State, Wells ran for 3,382 yards, fourth best in school history. He's projected to be one of the first running backs selected in the draft.

"Ohio State football will miss Beanie's big runs," coach Jim Tressel said, "but we will also miss his big smile."

Commish: BCS complies with law

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Bowl Championship Series officials believe they're prepared to fend off any legal challenges.

With the Utah attorney general investigating the bowl system for a possible antitrust violation, Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner and BCS coordinator John Swofford said the BCS has carefully considered the legality of its format.

"We've attempted to make every effort to make certain that any structure of the BCS is within the antitrust laws. Our legal people are comfortable that the BCS structure is," Swofford said. "Obviously if there are any aspects of it that we should be doing differently, we would adjust that."

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff announced his investigation Tuesday. Utah (13-0) was the only unbeaten school in major-college football yet was left out of Thursday night's BCS title game between Florida and Oklahoma, each with one loss.

"We're not out there trying to test the antitrust laws of the United States of America," Swofford said.

Swofford reiterated that the majority of university presidents and athletic directors oppose an expansive NFL-style playoff for major-college football.

Last summer, the BCS considered a proposal by Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive to change to a four-team playoff called the plus-one model. The format would match the top four teams at the end of the regular season in two of the major bowls and the winners would play in the national title game.

That proposal was shot down. Swofford said it's unlikely the plus-one model will be considered again any time soon.

Utah finished its perfect season last week with a 31-17 victory against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

"The BCS provided a platform for Utah to show the nation what a terrific football team they had this year," Swofford said. "Preceding the BCS, I don't know if that platform would have been there."

The BCS expanded to five games three seasons ago and changed its qualification standards to allow better access to teams from the five conferences without automatic bids, such as Utah, which plays in the Mountain West Conference.

Notes

• Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy did not attend a post-bowl team meeting, possibly indicating he may change his mind and declare for the NFL draft.

• Wisconsin junior running back P.J. Hill will enter the NFL draft, ending his college career third on the Badgers' all-time rushing list with 3,996 yards.

• Former Miami quarterback Robert Marve will be allowed to transfer to Central Florida or South Florida, but still can't move to some schools in the Southeastern Conference or Atlantic Coast Conference, an athletic appeals committee at the school ruled.

• Texas Christian coach Gary Patterson has agreed to a new contract that runs through the 2014 season.