COLLEGE WATCH : Illegal Motion

Having won a share of the 1991 national championship and with a third consecutive Rose Bowl appearance at hand, the University of Washington Huskies have built a reputation as one of the preeminent teams in college football.

But a recent investigation by The Times has uncovered off-the-field activity that not only threatens to undermine the program but also indicates an atmosphere in big-time college football that calls for investigation by the National Collegiate Athletic Assn.

In an exclusive story in The Times last week, writers Danny Robbins and Elliott Almond detailed how two prominent University of Wash- ington boosters gave members of the football team--in apparent violation of NCAA rules--thousands of dollars in cash and other benefits such as high-paying summer jobs that required little or no work.

The Pacific-10 Conference, acting independently of the NCAA, is looking into those charges as well as conducting a probe into a $50,000 unsecured loan made to ex-Husky quarterback Billy Joe Hobert.

In addition, the federal government is investigating allegations that at least five team members illegally altered cellular phones to avoid being billed. And these are only some of the serious accusations that have surfaced.

University of Washington officials on Tuesday appointed an independent counsel to investigate. But, more and more, this looks like a job for the NCAA, which should bring its full range of resources to bear on this emerging scandal in an effort to ensure the integrity of college athletics.