Oklahoma and Texas have been bitter rivals on and off the field since before any of you reading this were in diapers. Love it or hate it, their perception is often decided by their recent success versus one another.

Right now, the Longhorns hold all the cards after embarrassing Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl a season ago. While it's difficult to imagine that things won't be much different in a matter of a few weeks, UT has the bragging rights, and therefore, the upper hand in terms of public opinion.

ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit is certainly one who shares in the public's affinity for the Longhorns over the Sooners at this point in time, that is, if you take his recent comments at face value.

Herbstreit will be on the call for the Longhorns' clash with No. 3 Alabama this weekend as well and met with reporters via Zoom this week to talk about the game, among other things.

During the call, Herbstreit was asked whether Oklahoma or Texas is better prepared for their move to the best conference in college football.

“If you look at Oklahoma and you look at Texas, right now the rosters ... Now, Brent Venables is a couple years behind where [Steve Sarkisian] is, but it just feels like when you look at Texas, they’re closer to being where you need to be than I think where Venables is currently,” Herbstreit said, according to Eric Bailey of the Tulsa World. “But I think he’ll be there as well because he understands it probably as well as anybody.

“He’ll get that program eventually there, but right now Texas, I think, is ... I think they’re ready to compete. So we’ll see how it goes.”

This weekend would've been a perfect litmus test for that theory had the SEC not canceled Oklahoma's nonconference battle with Georgia that was set for this week.

Having the Sooners and Longhorns face the Bulldogs and Tide in the same weekend would've been a perfect measuring stick to see where these programs stand heading into their new venture in 2024.

Still, seeing Texas go into Bryant-Denny Stadium this weekend will give us a clue about where the Longhorns are, but we'll likely have to wait until OU faces their arch-rival in Dallas to see where the Sooners are compared to a season ago.