However, OSU continues to lead Oklahoma universities in high school valedictorians (1,154) and 27 percent of its freshmen graduated among the top 10 percent of their high school class.

Campus improvements: Remains under review.

OSU will make at least $150 million in capital improvements over the next four to five years, headed by the $70 million OSU Science and Technology Research Center that will increase the university's research space by 20 percent.

The south research campus off Jenkins Avenue will produce a similar boon for OU. It's already started with the Stephenson Research and Techonology Center and One Partners Place for private-sector businesses, and will grow with the $67 million National Weather Center set to open early next year and a new chemistry building.

Overall, though, OU is in the midst of $700 million of renovations and new construction over a five-year period. Much of that money has or will come from private giving, which has exceeded $1 billion over the past decade. Meanwhile, more than $500 million in public and private donations and research grants over the past three years have and will upgrade the OSU campus in many areas.

Libraries: Advantage OU, though OSU also has reason to boast.

OU libraries have almost 4 million volumes, including more than 50 books that are more than 500 years old. OU also has more than 1.6 million photographs, 1.5 million maps and has been a government document depository since 1893.

OSU counters with nearly 2.6 million volumes and 1.4 million government documents, along with 4.5 million microforms and a whopping 96,500 print and electronic periodicals.

Miscellaneous: Up for grabs in many, many areas. Here's a sampling:

OU has not one, but two of the better university-based museums in the nation with the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art -- home of the largest French Impressionist painting collection at a university -- and the 195,000-square-foot Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and its thousands of exhibits.

Though OU dominates the rivalry in football, OSU has won 45 team national championships in other sports. The university also claims to be an economic winner for the state by creating more than 9,500 jobs and making a $2.5 billion impact on the state economy.

Thus, today will settle football bragging rights between the schools -- at least over the next 12 months. But the debate over which university is better will rage on, probably for at least the next 100 years.

James S. Tyree 366-3539 jtyree@normantranscript.com