James Schammerhorn / Oklahoma State University

At Oklahoma State, boosters led by oilman T. Boone Pickens have provided the Cowboys with Boone Pickens Stadium, which houses a multi-faceted football headquarters that includes sports medicine center, media area, hall of fame area and lots more.

Mark Jackson, senior associate athletic director at USC who has been involved in the process of the McKay Center since the start, estimated that he and other athletic department representatives visited about 20 universities as well as NFL teams to study what they had to offer before designing the new building. That didn’t include many of the opponents that the Trojans have had on their football schedule in recent years, because USC’s coaches and administrators were already familiar with what those programs had.

“We targeted the places that we thought fit our brand,” Jackson said.

Naturally, donors were needed, and they responded. While there wasn’t one Boone Pickens or Phil Knight at USC, there was a steady flow of check-writers.

The result is one huge two-story (with basement) monument to athletics. At some universities, the facilities are separated by sport: the football program may have its own area, the basketball its own, etc. The McKay Center will be headquarters for all 21 sports, and special attention has been paid both to the successes of all those programs but also Olympic triumphs as well.

And although cynics may chuckle whenever academics are mentioned in connection with big-time college sports, USC’s brass is not among them. The entire first floor of the new center is devoted to academics: computer labs, tutoring rooms, classrooms and more.

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To dazzle the young 18-to-22-year-old demographic, there are more flat screens scattered about throughout the building than you might find in your local Best Buy. Each locker has its own iPad. The players’ lounge was designed with input from football players, so it has what you might think they’d demand for down time entertainment and recreation. Outside there is a large patio area with a fire pit for dining and relaxing. A biometric entry system will be in place, requiring a thumb print or handprint to gain access to the building.

“Before we started the project, we thought we were 20 to 25 years behind most of the facilities of the schools we compete against,” Jackson said. “When this is finished, we like to think of ourselves as 10 years ahead.”

That should thrust USC into the lead — until the next major football program orders a significant upgrade of its facilities, which could be any day now.

Michael Ventre is a regular contributor to NBCSports.com. Follow him on Twitter  http://twitter.com/#!/MichaelVentre44

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