Last week brought an interesting, but tongue-in-cheek comment from Kirby Smart during his press conference previewing Georgia’s game against Auburn, as he responded to Gus Malzahn’s claim that the Bulldogs had the SEC’s most talented team.

“I think if you ask somebody the week of a game, the team they’re playing will have the most talent in the SEC,” Smart said. “That’s called coach-speak.”

We’re still a ways off from finding out if the Dawgs are the most talented in the conference. But during Saturday’s 125th edition of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, there was no question.

Georgia beat Auburn 27-6. And it wasn’t even that close.

The Bulldogs dominated the Tigers on offense, rolling up 442 yards to Auburn’s 216. Stetson Bennett IV played his second straight game of mistake-free football, going 17-of-28 for 240 yards and 1 touchdown. That touchdown, by the way, was a gorgeous ball dropped right into the hands of George Pickens to make it 17-0 with just under 4 minutes played in the 2nd quarter.

That was only one of 2 catches Pickens made. The rest of the night belonged to Kearis Jackson. What would he do as an encore after his 6-catch, 62-yard day against Arkansas last week? How about a 9-catch, 147-yard evening against the Tigers? It might be worth the country’s while to pay a little closer attention to the redshirt sophomore if the first 2 weeks have shown anything.

As for the hype about Bo Nix? Let’s quiet that down a bit. The sophomore looked ordinary, going 21-of-41 for just 177 yards while throwing an interception. There was no near-comeback heroics like there was last year at Jordan-Hare; this time, we saw plenty of shots of a frustrated Nix on the sidelines with a towel over his head.

Credit a Georgia secondary that was able to neutralize the cast of receivers the Tigers had. There were no “You Got Moss’d” moments for Seth Williams. Nix targeted the All-SEC 3rd-team pick 10 times, with the junior making just 3 catches for 36 yards. Anthony Schwartz was held to 8 catches and 56 yards, while Tank Bigsby’s final tally of 7 catches for 68 yards was a bit flattering considering the result.

After a slow start against Arkansas, we saw the response that we were looking for from the offense. But it’s the secondary, led by DJ Daniel, Eric Stokes, Richard LeCounte and Tyson Campbell, that the Dawgs will especially need to lean on heading into the meat of the schedule.

We already know the capabilities those 4 bring. But it’s the depth behind them that should excite fans, especially players like Lewis Cine, who stepped in almost seamlessly for LeCounte after the senior saw a questionable targeting call against him upheld in the 2nd quarter.

Let’s be honest: Georgia should — should! — knock off Tennessee and Kentucky if they maintain both this offensive and defensive performance. But the 2 other games in this upcoming 4-week stretch are the ones that will tell us a lot about this group. There’s obviously Alabama, featuring a receiving duo in DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle that, early on, has shown that it is likely as good as any in the country. (I can’t talk about this game without the obligatory disclaimer that Nick Saban has never lost to a former assistant.)

After Kentucky — don’t look past Josh Ali and the Wildcats! — it’s on to Jacksonville to face Florida in the Cocktail Party. And that’s a completely different matchup that will be centered around stopping not just Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes, but the country’s top tight end in Kyle Pitts.

The Gators, of course, are the trendy pick to win the SEC East this year. Their offense has been up to the task thus far through the first 2 games, thanks in part to Kyle Trask and the aforementioned receiving trio. Right now, it’s hard to make a case against them, but the bad news for them is that they’ve done it against a pair of teams they were supposed to beat in the first place.

Back to the Dawgs, who passed an early-season test against the Tigers with flying colors. Their toughest ones yet, against Alabama and Florida, are still ahead. And making it back to the SEC Championship for the 4th year in a row might require beating not one, but both of those teams, keeping in mind this year’s shortened schedule.

Georgia is unscathed through its first 2 games. Coach-speak or no coach-speak, we’ll find out soon how it stacks up to the rest of the SEC.