Four years ago when the University of North Carolina hired Butch Davis as its football coach, the message was through a megaphone: The university’s administration was ready for the football Tar Heels to move out of decades of mediocrity that were marked with an occasional high to consistently rival the success of their basketball brethren.

Big-time football has officially arrived in Chapel Hill: The football team is considered by many experts to be a Bowl Championship Series contender, about a half dozen players are considered possible No. 1 picks in the NFL draft, Kenan Stadium is being expanded to accommodate more fannies, and luxury boxes are planned.

But what really gives the program an SEC feel is that the NCAA is investigating the possibility that some Tar Heel football players received illegal benefits from agents, and the university’s admission that it was investigating the possibility of academic violations by team members.

The timing couldn’t be worse: On Saturday, the Tar Heels meet tradition-rich LSU on national TV, and there is no way to know now who might be eligible to play for the Tar Heels. Even Las Vegas is confused, having pulled the contest off the betting board as rumors have as many as 11 Tar Heel starters in street clothes.

The news is especially troubling for the state’s flagship university, where there hasn’t been a hint of athletic scandal in a half a century. UNC officials like to crow that they do things the right way by maintaining an unassailable blend of academics and athletics — a boast often repeated by their fans.

The NCAA investigation, while troubling, appears — at this point — limited in scope to perhaps a couple of players who might have made poor decisions. But the potential academic transgressions could suggest something far-reaching, even systemic, and that there is a tutor involved who worked for Davis helping his teenage son only makes worse the appearance. It is important to note that the tutor was introduced to Davis by the school, and not the other way around.

Already academics at UNC are rallying in support of Davis, which is critical to his survival. Davis has a clean record, having cleaned up a mess at the University of Miami in the mid-1990s before moving on to the NFL.

But when Davis was escorted by Chancellor Holden Thorp and Athletics Director Dick Baddour in front of the media for a Thursday press conference, the gravity of the situation was clear. Thorp was visibly angry, and Davis was showing the stress of weeks of uncertainty.

Baddour spoke of a “two-prong” investigation, the one involving benefits being conducted by the NCAA, and the academic probe that the university will conduct. He and Thorp were clear that the investigation would be determined, saying it might even expand to other sports, and that any findings of misconduct would be dealt with harshly by the school and an honor code that provides little wiggle room for squeezing players back onto the field if they are found guilty of cheating in class.

UNC officials understand that what matters most is no longer what has happened, but what happens next. The university’s academic standing must not be compromised — and if that means rolling back the clock to mediocrity on the football field, then so be it.

Long-suffering Tar Heel football fans, fearful that a program on the verge might have to be rebooted, are hoping it isn’t an either/or proposition.