BIG TEN SHOWDOWN: '03 bragging rights at stake in open-ended rivalry

Michigan and Michigan State may decide a football game today, but it will not settle the argument over which school is best.

That never will be settled.

There are many barometers people use to determine the best school -- academics, famous grads, parties, prettiest campus, most hotties and fewest losers.

Just in case your team loses today, here are some facts and figures to bolster your argument.

ON THE GRIDIRON
Football records (overall):

U-M: 830-271-36

MSU: 579-383-44

Victories against each other:

U-M: 62

MSU: 28

Most lopsided victory against the other:

U-M: 119-0 in 1902

MSU: 34-0 in 1967

Longest winning streaks in the rivalry:

U-M: 14 games (1916-29)

MSU: 4 games (four different times)

Stadium capacity:

U-M: 107,501

MSU: 72,027

First-round NFL picks:

U-M: 38

MSU: 31

School's most famous football icon:

U-M: Winged helmet, which was designed by U-M coach Fritz Crisler in 1938.

MSU: Sparty the mascot, voted most buff in the land, standing 7 feet and made of fiberglass molds and vinyl. Cost: $12,000.

AWARDS
Academic All-Big Ten selections from 2002:

MSU: 9

U-M: 5

Number of Heisman Trophy winners:

U-M: 3 (Tom Harmon, 1940; Desmond Howard, 1991, Charles Woodson, 1996)

MSU: 0

Number of football national championships:

U-M: 11

MSU: 6

BRAGGING RIGHTS
Number of U-M license plates sold in Michigan (as of Oct. 1): 27,997

Number of MSU license plates sold in Michigan (as of Oct. 1): 35,176

Total number of arrests at home football games in 2002:

U-M: 40

MSU: 291

Famous alumni:

U-M: Gerald Ford (38th U.S. president), Arthur Miller (playwright, "The Crucible"), Mike Wallace (journalist, "60 Minutes"), Gilda Radner (actress/comedian).

MSU: Richard Ford (Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist), Debbie Stabenow (U.S. senator), Walter Hill (movie director, "48 Hours"), Dawn Riley (America's top female sailor).

Infamous alumnus:

U-M: Unabomber Ted Kaczynski (U-M '67)

MSU: Jimmy Hoffa (MSU '63)

Average high school GPA of 2002 freshman class:

U-M: 3.75

MSU: 3.55

SAT average score for 2002 freshman class:

U-M: 1,285

MSU: 1,141

Number of degree-granting schools and colleges:

U-M: 19

MSU: 14

Percentage of 2002 freshman applicants accepted:

U-M: 49

MSU: 67

Number of living alumni:

U-M: 425,000

MSU: 319,000

Number of members in marching band:

U-M: 350

MSU: 300

Number of Michigan High School Athletic Association teams nicknamed Spartans: 11

Number of Michigan High School Athletic Association teams nicknamed Wolverines: 5

Number of Rhodes Scholars:

U-M: 24

MSU: 16

Number of Nobel Prize winners:

U-M: 7

MSU: 0

ON CAMPUS
Year founded:

U-M: 1817

MSU: 1855

Number of names each university has had:

U-M: 1 (The University of Michigan).

MSU: 6 (Agricultural College of the State of Michigan; State Agricultural College; Michigan Agricultural College; Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science; Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, Michigan State University).

Number of campuses:

U-M: 3 (Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Flint)

MSU: 1 (East Lansing)

Total enrollment (fall 2002):

MSU: 44,542

U-M: 38,972

Number of dorms on main campus:

MSU: 24

U-M: 16

Largest dorm on each campus and its occupancy:

U-M: Bursley Hall, 1,350

MSU: Hubbard Hall or Akers Hall, 1,200

Size of campus, in acres:

MSU: 5,200

U-M: 3,177

Percentage of students who come from out-of-state (fall 2002):

U-M: 31

MSU: 6

Number of countries represented on campus:

MSU: 100

U-M: 87

Number of actual Spartans who ever lived in Michigan: 0

Number of actual Wolverines that ever lived in Michigan: 0

Number of social fraternities and sororities:

MSU: 42

U-M: 26

Ranking as a party school, according to the 2003 Princeton Review:

MSU: 12

U-M: 13

Ranking as a party school, according to 2003 Playboy magazine:

MSU: 20

U-M: Not ranked

For fun, students:

U-M: Run naked

MSU: Burn couches

Favorite public art:

U-M: Spinning cube

MSU: Sparty statue

Student newspaper circulation:

Michigan Daily: 18,000

State News: 28,500

Score of touch football game Friday night between the two newspaper staffs:

Michigan Daily 10, State News 6