GAINESVILLE — Florida, the program that has won back-to-back SEC East division titles, improved to 3-0 in the SEC Saturday, and looked like an improving, physical football team that is developing playmakers in the process.

But you wouldn’t know much about that listening to the national media Sunday or into Monday, as all the talk –with some justification — centers around the resurgent Georgia Bulldogs.

Georgia rose to fifth in the latest AP poll; Florida is tied for 21st.

The Bulldogs, picked to win the SEC East at the league’s Media Days, have lived up to the preseason hype in Year 2 under head coach Kirby Smart. Georgia pummeled Tennessee 41-0 at Neyland Stadium Saturday, improving to 5-0 and earning much national acclaim. Even before Saturday’s win, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said he felt the Dawgs were “for real,” legitimate College Football Playoff contenders. Sunday, Saturday Down South’s own Connor O’Gara said the Bulldogs looked like “Alabama East”, and poked fun at disbelievers, noting it wasn’t “fake news.” Monday morning, longtime respected Southern college football radio host Bill King joined a chorus of analysts in all but ruling out anything except an Alabama-Georgia SEC Championship game in December.

And who could blame these folks, really?

With the core of a very talented defense back in 2017, Georgia has been marvelous defensively, ranking third nationally in S&P+ total defense, seventh in pass efficiency defense and 11th in run defense through September. That unit, coupled with a stable of running backs that now includes explosive freshman D’Andre Swift, has the Bulldogs looking the part of SEC East division champion, and potentially, SEC champ and College Football Playoff contender.

Just don’t expect the Florida Gators to give up their East division championship without a fight.

Here are four reasons Florida still has a chance to return to Atlanta.

Florida youth getting better, especially on offense

The Gators started two seniors Saturday — cornerback Duke Dawson and punter Johnny Townsend. Otherwise, the Gators fielded one of the youngest football teams in the SEC.

While Florida’s youth and inexperience has reared its head on occasion throughout the season’s opening month, the Gators appeared to turn a corner, especially offensively, against Vanderbilt. Facing a defense that entered the day in the top 20 nationally, the Gators piled up 467 yards and 38 points despite losing their starting quarterback. UF also looked physical at the point of attack for the second consecutive week.

Young playmakers Tyrie Cleveland (sophomore), Malik Davis (freshman), Lamical Perine (sophomore), Freddie Swain (sophomore) and Kadarius Toney (freshman) continue to emerge, accounting collectively for eight of Florida’s past nine offensive touchdowns over the past two games.

UF weathered year’s worth of adversity in September

Steve Spurrier used to say, “winning is a habit,” meaning teams figure out how to win, even when victory seems unlikely. Kirby Smart notes that “humility is only a week away.” Both coaches are right.

The Gators have won seven consecutive one-score games.

Florida is 9-1 under Jim McElwain in one-score games, and this year the Gators continue to show a knack for winning games they could easily have lost.

Tough teams do that. And who could truly argue Florida isn’t tough?

After a July season-ending injury to team captain Marcell Harris deprived them of their best tackler, indefinite August suspensions to Antonio Callaway and Jordan Scarlett deprived them of their best playmakers. Then in September the Gators saw another starting quarterback lost to injury and a hurricane deprived them of a much-needed extra home game. Toughness is one aspect of this Gator team that is confirmed.

Gators have a more favorable SEC schedule left

Georgia still has a date at Auburn on the schedule. The Bulldogs have had the better of that rivalry over the past 10 years, but if one SEC team other than Alabama has the type of defensive personnel that Georgia has, it’s the team on The Plains.

Meanwhile, Florida’s cross-division constant, LSU, appears far more vulnerable under coach Ed Orgeron than the previous staff and the Tigers visit The Swamp. The Gators also host Texas A&M, hardly a pushover, but that game is also in Gainesville.

Both teams play Missouri and South Carolina, but Georgia still must play at Vanderbilt, which at a minimum asks questions of teams offensively, then the Dawgs have a testy, veteran Kentucky team in November. Florida has already solved those riddles.

In other words, tiebreakers, should it come to that, will be settled by who wins the Cocktail Party. But UGA has more pitfalls on the schedule than the Gators.

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

As good as Georgia has looked, it still has questions

Smart’s opening campaign as head coach was a disappointing one.

The Bulldogs recruited well and won the Liberty Bowl, but on the heels of a 10-win season with similar personnel, they finished a disappointing 8-5 with home losses to Vanderbilt and in-state rival Georgia Tech, when they were bullied by physical teams. They were handled up front by Florida too, losing 24-10 in a game far less competitive than the final score.

The Bulldogs’ win this year at Notre Dame appears impressive, but the other “quality” wins came over a Tennessee team coming apart at the seams and a Mississippi State club picked to finish last in the SEC West this summer.

Terry Godwin is a good receiver, but beyond him the team has limited perimeter playmakers, especially after Isaiah McKenzie departed early for the NFL. The Bulldogs remain very much a north-south football team, and the lack of flexibility offensively is part of the reason they rank just 83rd nationally in total offense.

Jacob Fromm has plenty to prove too.

He has managed games well, but what happens if someone can limit Georgia’s rushing and he’s asked to win a game with his arm? He was 7-for-15 for 84 yards and a pick against Tennessee, hardly earth-shattering numbers. Plus, many teams with young quarterbacks see them have that one bad day that costs a football team.

Don’t believe me? Ask the 2012 Florida Gators, whose only blemish in an 11-1 regular season came when freshman Jeff Driskel fired off two terribly costly picks against … you guessed it, Georgia.