After the run to No. 1 last year and being just a play or two from winning a national championship, it was easy to look around the Georgia football program earlier this year and think just one thing.

Let’s do that again.

it seemed simple enough. You surveyed all talent on the field, and all the talent coming in with the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, and you figured it was plug-and-play time and another title run was taken for granted.

It didn’t help that the Bulldogs started the season 6-0 against what has turned out to be a very weak schedule. It didn’t help that the Bulldogs were ranked No. 2 in the country and considered the most logical threat to Alabama. It didn’t help that many numbers were similar to 2017 anyway.

And then LSU happened. The Bulldogs went to Baton Rouge and got thumped 36-16. They were awful on both sides of the ball and, even worse, got out-coached, too. It was a complete team loss.

It was easy to say that this kind of loss wouldn’t have happened last year. But let’s be honest.

It did.

Saturday’s loss at LSU wasn’t that much different from the 40-17 loss at Auburn last year. That loss didn’t really matter all that much, because Georgia won the SEC East anyway and avenged that loss in the SEC Championship Game.

But the LSU loss had a different feel to it, because it was the first real opponent this season, and it didn’t go well. Last year, Georgia hung its hat on its huge win at Notre Dame in early September. It was Jake Fromm’s debut as the starting quarterback after Jacob Eason got hurt, and it all went well from there.

The Bulldogs don’t have that signature win this year, so that’s what raises the doubt. This team, they say, isn’t last year’s team.

Or is it?

To be honest, it’s too early to tell. Yes, the LSU loss was ugly, but it’s also just one loss. Georgia still controls its own fate and will be favored the next two games against SEC East contenders Florida and Kentucky. They can still win the division, win the league and make the Playoff.

We just have to worry about it more now, because there are no guarantees that this team is good enough to run the table. We’re not overly impressed so far. Heck, even Georgia coach Kirby Smart isn’t all that impressed.

“We haven’t gotten out of this team what we need to get out of them.”  Smart said, showing concern without hitting the panic button. “We lost (again) to a team in the (SEC) West, on the road. Everything’s still in front of us.”

What’s the biggest difference between these two Georgia teams? Well, let’s start with the obvious.

Nick Chubb and Sony Michel rank No. 2 and No. 3 all-time in school rushing yards. Last year, Georgia averaged 5.8 yards per carry rushing the ball.

This year? It’s also 5.8 yards per carry. Exactly the same. So, no difference there.

So far this year, Jake Fromm has completed 66.9 percent of his passes — it was 73 percent before Saturday — for 1,409 yards with 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Those numbers per game are all better than last year’s — 62.2 percent, 24 TDs, 7 picks for the season — and outside of Saturday’s bad performance, there’s no denying that Fromm has been better this year than last. The offensive line has been mostly the same, pretty good most days but not perfect. And the wide receivers have done their thing, too.

The offense is averaging 461 yards and 39 points per game. Through the first 7 games of 2017, those numbers were 454 and 37. Very similar.

The biggest difference on the eye test is the defense. It’s not the same as last year’s for two obvious reasons. One, they clearly miss Roquan Smith covering the field from sideline to sideline from his middle linebacker spot, and they definitely miss his leadership. Secondly, they just aren’t making enough impact plays this season. Sure, they’ve had early turnovers in games that have meant a lot, but they aren’t pressuring the quarterback like they should — still just 9 sacks in seven games — and there have been too many breakdowns in pass coverage.

Still, this defense can step up in the next few weeks and make a name for itself. It’s all still there right in front of them. Does it even matter whether they are as good as the 2017 defense? Not one bit.

They just need to be the best they can be this year. It’s still all right there. Offense, defense, special teams.

“We know if we win the rest of our games, we will get where we want to go,” Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship said.