Scandal scars run deep, but this time I have faith in Illini

History indicates Illinois was a shady football program each of the last two times it played in the Rose Bowl.

Hmmmmm.

In anticipation of the Fighting Illini's appearance Tuesday in Pasadena against USC, the question about them remains what it long has been.

Did they cheat to get where they want to be?

The answer is a definite "Who knows?" -- a distinct upgrade from the customary, "Of course they did."

Many insist Illinois head coach Ron Zook is Jesse James with a whistle around his neck. They believe offensive coordinator Mike Locksley must be using a pistol and ski mask to land the quality recruits he has been landing.

Schools competing with the Illini for talent -- Notre Dame, for example -- can't imagine Illinois attracting players honestly.

Me? Well, I think the Illini could be clean this time.

Even I'm amazed to be saying that. After all, I have been known as a self-loathing alumnus who always believes Illinois is dirty.

To be honest, I do still flinch every time a top athlete chooses Illinois. Scars fade but remain ugly reminders to beware.

The scar on my chest is from the slush-fund scandal when I was in school during the 1960s. The one on my left biceps is from Mike White's outlaw football regime in the 1980s. The one on the other biceps is from the Deon Thomas basketball dustup of the early 1990s.

The 1970s? That scar is in a private area I can't mention in a family newspaper.

Listen, I'm not a big person. I have run out of body regions to mutilate. Maybe that's why I want to believe Illinois won't suffer any NCAA probations in the near future.

Seriously, I'm experiencing an out-of-body sensation over this winning football team.

Sure, demons still linger in the shadows of my psyche, poised to haunt at the drop of a booster's $100 handshake with a million-dollar prospect.

Yet for the following reasons I'm raising the odds that Illinois is clean to 71.3 percent, up from the customary 11.4.

Reason No. 1 is athletic director Ron Guenther, my former classmate. He too endured all the scandals of the past 40 years and is intent on not repeating them.

Guenther's priorities have been, in order, to follow the rules, graduate athletes and win. Coaches won't always obey, but they do know somebody inside the department is watching.

Reason No. 2 is Zook arrived with a recruiting network. He has connections in the Southeast from coaching at Florida, while Locksley has them in the Baltimore-Washington area.

In other words, Illinois coaches came equipped with relationships rather than having to start out by buying them.

Reason 3 is that NCAA scholarship limits enable lesser programs to grow more quickly as talent spreads to more schools.

I used to assume schools went from downtrodden to upscale by cheating. Now they can do so by working harder than the Ohio States and being smarter than the Michigans.

If there were a Reason 4 that Illinois won't go on probation soon, it's that it quit challenging the NCAA over Chief Illiniwek.

Anyway, the Illini actually might be doing things properly this time or at least won't be caught doing otherwise.

If I'm wrong, heck, I'll have to put on some weight to make room for another scar.