In the wake of its loss to Auburn, Georgia faced serious questions. In the three weeks since their open date, the Bulldogs have not only answered those questions, but they've been head and shoulders above any other team in college football.

Saturday's 48-21 win over Missouri was the latest in a series of Bulldog demolitions. In its last three games -- all against ranked opponents -- Georgia is 3-0 with a plus-81 point differential. The 2026 Bulldogs are just the eighth team in AP poll history to beat three consecutive ranked opponents by at least 17 points.

The last team to do that was the 2021 Georgia squad, and that team went on to win the national championship. At this point, it's easy to imagine this year's team doing the exact same thing.

Since that open date, Georgia has been firing on all cylinders in every aspect of the game. The defense is playing like a vintage Kirby Smart unit, and the offense is scoring at will.

For most of the season, the national championship race seemed pretty wide open. Lately, it's looked a lot more like Georgia versus the field. At the moment, the field doesn't look all that appealing.

Dominating defense

Georgia has fielded some elite defenses under Smart, and this particular unit may not stack up to the best of those, but its working its way up the list.

Over the last three games combined, the Bulldogs have allowed seven points in the first half. Once teams start to move the ball against Georgia, if they do at all, it's after the game is already in hand. Even with garbage-time yardage factored in, the numbers have been pretty staggering.

Georgia defense: Last three games

• 12.0 points against per game
• 263.3 yards allowed per game
• 9 sacks
• 17 tackles for loss
• 7 turnovers forced

It's not like the Bulldogs have done this against a bunch of tomato cans either. Admittedly, the Florida offense is a mess, but that can't be said for Ole Miss or Missouri. Entering the day, the Rebels and Tigers were top-five SEC offenses in total yards, and they were both averaging more than 30 points per game.

This defense is playing well enough to win games on its own, but it doesn't have to do that because the offense has been excellent.

Offense is humming

In the wake of Georgia's 27-8 win over Florida, I wrote about the questions still facing Gunner Stockton and the passing attack. I've had some stories age poorly, but this is easily the fastest I've been made to look the fool.

Over the last two games, Stockton has silenced doubters like myself with wildly efficient performances. His raw yardage totals won't jump off the page, but his 11.2 yards per attempt will. He's also completed 69.2 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Just for good measure, Stockton has flexed his mobility with 34 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground.

Speaking of the ground game, that's been the engine driving these Bulldogs lately. Using a rotation in the backfield, Georgia has been grinding teams into a pulp with its rushing attack. Since the open date, the Dawgs are averaging 231.1 rushing yards per game. This win over Missouri was their lowest total at 181 yards.

Coming into the day, Georgia led the SEC with 41.1 points per game. That number will only climb after its thrashing off Missouri, and in a season with few truly elite offenses, the Bulldogs have one of the best in the country.

Can anyone slow down the Dawgs?

Georgia has simply been on another level the last few weeks. How many other teams can realistically match the Bulldogs?

Notre Dame has a win over Miami on its resume, but that Hurricanes defense can be exploited through the air. With Ellis Robinson IV and KJ Bolden in the defensive backfield, that's not the case with Georgia.

If the Hurricanes get Malachi Toney back for the College Football Playoff, they are one of the few teams that could really stress the Bulldogs defense. The question there is whether Toney will be himself coming off ankle surgery next month.

What about Alabama? Georgia has already gone on the road and beaten the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, albeit by a slim margin. Besides, this Georgia offense looks much stronger now than it did then.

Teams like Indiana and Texas have elite defenses but too many questions on offense. If the Longhorns' weapons all played up to their potential, they're capable of beating the Bulldogs, but how many times has that happend this season? Not often enough.

It's just hard to see anyone beating Georgia if it plays its best game. The Bulldogs are too good on both sides of the ball when they're at their best.

They weren't against Auburn, but that loss may have been a blessing in disguise. Ever since that game, Georgia has been unaffected by the newfound parity of college football, bludgeoning every team it meets onthe road to another national championship.