It wasn’t as easy as the scoreboard suggested, but then again, it rarely is against Georgia Tech.

It wasn’t always pretty, either, but then again, there’s nothing particularly appealing about game-planning for Paul Johnson’s Yellow Jackets.

It’s 60 minutes of down and dirty, discipline vs. deception. With a dose of clean, old-fashioned hate, of course.

After a so-so first half, Georgia put away outmanned Georgia Tech 38-7 Saturday. The Dawgs outscored Tech 21-0 in the second half, ensuring the visitor left town victorious for the fifth consecutive time in this rivalry. In terms of drama and entertainment, UCF-USF it was not.

The Dawgs’ defense stymied Tech’s triple option, using their speed to stretch plays to the sideline and then delivering punishing hits to prevent the Jackets from turning north.

The Dawgs’ offense did what it needed to. It leaned on the senior duo of Sony Michel and Nick Chubb and sprinkled in enough play-action to produce points. Both tailbacks ran for touchdowns, as did backup D’Andre Swift, and Jake Fromm added his 18th and 19th touchdown passes, extending his freshman school record.

There were some bumps in the road before the talent gap took its toll. Georgia completely botched its coverage on a simple two-receiver pick play that resulted in a wide-open touchdown pass from TaQuon Marshall. How rare was that? It was just Marshall’s seventh TD pass against an FBS team this season.

Georgia’s offense matched that goof with one of its own, mishandling the final seconds of the first half after Javon Wims’ catch gave them a first down at Tech’s 20 with 9 seconds left. Rather than call timeout and take a shot at the end zone, the Dawgs wasted six seconds and were forced to settle for Rodrigo Blankenship’s field goal.

But those are small details soon lost in a big-picture Saturday.

Big picture? Georgia completed its regular season 11-1 and healthy going into next weekend’s winner-take-all SEC Championship Game.

On a weekend when several Playoff hopefuls lost, Georgia added another W to its resume. A road one against a rival, at that.

Every possibility that existed when the Dawgs woke up Saturday remained when they left town for the short trip back to Athens on Saturday afternoon.

They started the day No. 7 in the Playoff poll. Thanks to No. 2 Miami’s loss, they’re assured of moving to at least No. 6 on Tuesday night, maybe even No. 5 depending on what happens in the Iron Bowl. Higher if No. 3 Clemson, No. 4 Oklahoma or No. 5 Wisconsin stumble this afternoon.

Again, those rankings hardly matter. Georgia will have the final say.

If Georgia wins the SEC Championship Game next weekend in Atlanta, it’s going to the Playoff. If it loses, it’s not.

On a weekend where much changed, nothing at all changed for the Dawgs. They did what they had to do. And that was the best outcome of all.