There were so many questions.

How will Georgia play without Brock Bowers? Is this defense really good enough against competitive football teams? Can the Bulldogs orchestrate a good enough pass rush? How will the running game look without Bowers as a safety valve to take pressure off?

The answer: Georgia 43, Florida 20.

There are games to be played and one day doesn’t overwrite every question that has been asked this season, but this team is going to 3-peat.

That’s a big statement. Let me hedge a little bit.

I’m not making any predictions for what’s going to happen the rest of the year. I’m not saying that the Bulldogs are back to where they were a year ago, just like they weren’t back after they shelled Kentucky earlier this season.

But this team, the one that pressured Gators quarterback Graham Mertz all day, the one that, after an opening-drive touchdown, tightened up and played as stingy as we’ve seen it all year … this team might just be the best team in the country.

Let’s talk about it. Let’s start on offense.

The questions coming into this week were what Georgia would do in the absence of tight end Bowers. Fair question. All it did, though, was put up 486 yards, 43 points and 315 passing yards. Wide receiver Ladd McConkey demonstrated that he can, in fact, be every bit the possession receiver Georgia thought it had lost with Bowers’ injury.

McConkey caught 6 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown, hauling in a couple third-down receptions and adding yards after the catch. In the running game, the Bulldogs got consistent production out of Daijun Edwards (15 carries for 96 yards and 2 scores) and Kendall Milton (13 carries for 55 yards and a score). Carson Beck completed 68 percent of his passes for over 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. There were no turnovers.

On defense, for the first time this season, the pass rush came out to play. Constantly, the Bulldogs front seven was in Mertz’s face. The Gators ended up notching 339 yards of total offense, but a third of that came after Georgia had essentially locked up the game.

It was by far Georgia’s best defensive performance. After giving up an easy touchdown on the first drive of the game, the Bulldogs became as stingy as we’ve seen all year. Smael Mondon was making open field tackles. Jamon Dumas-Johnson was rushing Mertz. The secondary was blanketing receivers.

It was as complete a performance as Georgia has shown this year in a week that questions outweighed certainty.

Let’s be clear — this season isn’t solidified. Georgia has a challenging schedule for the next 3 weeks. Missouri, Ole Miss and Tennessee will all have something to say about the direction of the Bulldogs’ season.

For the first time in 2023, however, teams around the country have to be looking at the Bulldogs and wondering if they missed their window. Maybe Georgia simply was unenthused against lower-tier competition. Maybe all it took was a game against a rival or a 4-game stretch against strong opponents that will determine whether or not it can set a new historical standard.

The Bulldogs were as strong as they’ve ever looked on Saturday. And if this team shows up on a weekly basis from here through January, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more capable unit.