What a wild postseason it was for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Back in December (which feels like years ago at this point), the Bulldogs avenged their only regular-season loss, taking down Auburn in convincing fashion in the SEC Championship Game.

From there, the Dawgs went to Pasadena and beat Heisman Trophy-winning QB Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners in a thrilling double-overtime contest.

Then, as we all saw on Monday night in Atlanta, they took a big 13-0 lead over Alabama in the National Championship Game, but came up just short in overtime, falling 26-23.

It was a heartbreaking end to the season for coach Kirby Smart’s crew, but in only his second year at the helm of the program, he has the Bulldogs in a position where they can compete on the national stage for years to come.

In the moments after the loss, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said he won’t be surprised if the Bulldogs are back in big moments as soon as next year under Smart’s leadership.

“He’s ahead of schedule,” Herbstreit said. “I know it’s disappointing for tonight. … He’s not going anywhere. I want to congratulate Georgia, as rough as tonight is, for a great year.”

Indeed, it was a special season, and Smart has the Bulldogs in position to compete for years to come. At the moment, the Dawgs have the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, so the roster will continue to be stacked in the coming years.

Yes, losing key players such as Nick Chubb and Sony Michel and (probably) linebacker Roquan Smith will hurt, but Smart is building a juggernaut.

In 2018, there’s no team that appears to be in position to challenge the Bulldogs’ SEC East dominance, as Florida and Tennessee will have new coaches and no other squads look ready to challenge Georgia.

With Jake Fromm looking primed to keep his starting job, even with Jacob Eason and top signee Justin Fields nipping at his heels, the Dawgs have the most important position on the field taken care off.

Add in RB D’Andre Swift, some talented receivers and offensive linemen and a solid defense, and the Bulldogs are going to be tough to beat in 2018.

Mark Richt went 13-1 in his second year at Georgia, and now Smart has gone 13-2, with the extra loss coming in overtime at the National Championship Game. This is a pivotal moment, as Richt was never able to get the Dawgs back to another one-loss season and only won one other SEC title.

Alabama and Auburn are going to be great again in the SEC West next year, so we could have a rematch of this year’s SEC title game or the National Championship Game the first weekend of December next year.

However, one thing is for sure — it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bulldogs in the discussion for another College Football Playoff berth at this time next season.

And, now that they know what it’s like to reach the top and lose in heartbreaking fashion, they’ll be ready to do what it takes to go home with that CFP title trophy next time around.