So, who wants Georgia now?

South Carolina, the offseason dark horse, couldn’t have asked for better circumstances Saturday: at home, frenzied environment, veteran quarterback against a plug-and-play Georgia team that isn’t as good Saturday as it will be November.

None of it mattered.

No. 3 Georgia, which took control of the SEC East last season with such ferocity that it seemed like, yes, indeed, Kirby Smart was building Alabama-Athens, retained that control Saturday with a pivotal, convincing 41-17 victory over the hopeful Gamecocks.

As showdowns go, the drama lasted all of four plays. That’s how long it took Deandre Baker to pick off a tipped Jake Bentley pass and return it almost all the way into the end zone. Baker dropped the ball at the 1 in a premature celebration. Alert teammate Juwan Taylor picked up the ball and crossed the goal line. The result was the same: South Carolina’s opening drive ended with a Georgia touchdown.

Georgia quickly added a second touchdown — this time the offense contributed. D’Andre Swift found the left edge and raced 17 yards untouched for a 14-0 lead.

Two touchdowns in the first four minutes induced a few surrender cobras poses in the stands, but not from the Gamecocks.

They responded with a poised 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Deebo Samuel throwing a jet sweep touchdown pass to Bryan Edwards. Georgia’s secondary bit, leaving Edwards alone in the end zone for an easy 13-yard pitch and catch.

If that settled their nerves, picking off Jake Fromm’s ill-advised, back-foot throw brought the home crowd back to its feet.

From there, the two SEC East favorites went toe to toe, not unlike previous games.

First downs and big plays became fewer. So did costly mistakes.

Rodrigo Blankenship’s right leg stayed strong. He added two field goals as Georgia closed the first half ahead 20-10.

Both teams lamented missed opportunities, but Georgia was the first to correct them.

The Dawgs opened the second half with a blistering 6-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Mecole Hardman trotting into the end zone. His 34-yard catch-and-run from Jake Fromm pushed Georgia’s lead to 27-10.

Bentley and the South Carolina offense couldn’t keep pace. The much-advertised up-tempo attack wasn’t effective. The running game was missing. Georgia swarmed Deebo Samuel, routinely double-teaming his every move.

Ultimately, the game revealed limitations. For Bentley, it was an opportunity to prove he is NFL material. The measurables certainly are. The results aren’t yet. Saturday he was 30-for-47 with 2 interceptions. He wasn’t averaging 5 yards per throw until his 44-yard TD pass to Bryan Edwards late in the fourth quarter, the outcome long decided.

His counterpart, Fromm, wasn’t flawless, but he was surely good enough. He was, dare we say it, boringly efficient and safe. Aside from the one pick, he typically threw easy balls to open receivers, including a 42-yard swing pass to Hardman that set up Elijah Holyfield’s 5-yard touchdown run and pushed Georgia’s lead to 34-10. It added up to a 15-for-18 afternoon for 194 yards and fourth-quarter wishes to play Justin Fields, who finished up.

Saturday was a statement game. It not only revealed completely different things about the quality of these two programs but also the gap Georgia has created in the SEC East.

That gap only appears to be widening.