Greg McElroy argues Oklahoma was ranked too low in the preseason

Oklahoma has slowly but surely climbed the polls over their first five games this season. However, Greg McElroy thinks that the rankings, including his own, shouldn’t have had the Sooners as low as they were to begin with.

McElroy reexamined his Top-25 from before the season during ‘Always College Football’ this week. Based on what Oklahoma has done, he said that, in hindsight, he looks a bit foolish for having them in the 20s.

“Oklahoma? We had them at No. 23. This was dumb because Oklahoma is way better than that,” McElroy said.

“A lot of people are still kind of reserved about their judgment about what Oklahoma might be. Now, should they be in the Top-10, Top-12 depending on where you have them,” said McElroy. “This team is playing good football.

People remain reserved for a reason as Oklahoma’s first five opponents were too hard to handle. They’ve cruised from No. 20 to No. 12 with an average margin of victory of over 36 points. That stretch includes one win by 30, another by 49, and one by 73 in their opener.

However, if there are still any doubters, McElroy believes their hesitation may change depending on how things turn out in the Red River Rivalry this weekend.

“Now, they’re going to find out this week,” McElroy noted. “Like, it’s almost impossible to gauge where Oklahoma is at the moment because they still have Texas sitting right in front of them, a team that drubbed them last year.”

The Sooner’s resume is legitimate and checks almost all the boxes. The one that, to this point, it might not have checked yet is strength of opponents. That’s why, in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, McElroy wants to see if Oklahoma continues to prove him and others wrong and makes their way into the Top-10.

“Maybe Oklahoma gets it going this week. Maybe they beat the Longhorns and they get the universal respect that they deserve,” said McElroy. “But, as of right now, it was dumb to have them in the 20s. They should be in the ‘teens at the very worst.”

“Maybe, just maybe, with a win this week, they’ll move into everybody’s Top-10,” said McElroy.

Herbstreit believes Red River will say more about who Oklahoma is

The Red River Rivalry is already going to be massive for a pair of Top-15 teams and their fanbases. To Kirk Herbstreit, though, this stage in the Cotton Bowl is the Sooner’s chance to announce themselves to the sport.

Herbstreit spoke with Bob Stoops on ‘Conversations with Coach’ to discuss No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Texas. Although they’re just as undefeated as the Longhorns, Herbstreit believes we have a much better chance of learning more about OU by the end of the weekend.

“I’ve watched Oklahoma but I think, this week, at least as an outsider? I think all of us are, obviously, going to learn a lot more about who they really are,” said Herbstreit.

For Herbstreit, Red River is the perfect proving ground as a rivalry game for the Sooners to make a statement that they’re as real as anybody else by the start of October.

“I feel like we know more about Texas just because of being tested a little bit. I feel like if OU wins this game? They’re, all of a sudden, going to be a major splash on the scene in the college football world,” Herbstreit explained. “Right now, after the year they had last year? I think the college football world is like, ‘I’m not sure, yet, about who they are yet.’

“If they go out and win this game? Their entire world would change drastically because of the attention and the stage that they’re about to step into on Saturday.”