Georgia opened the year like Georgia opens every year.

Georgia 63, Tennessee State 3. Kirby Smart operates on a different plane than the rest of the sport when it comes to Week 1 tune-ups. This was a scrimmage in front of 92,000 people.

Gunner Stockton passed for three touchdowns in what was basically a half of work. Nate Frazier ran for three touchdowns in the same amount of time. The Georgia starters were on the bench by the end of the third quarter and the score was still 56-3. That is what a system looks like.

That is the machine.

The Kirby-era Georgia program has now won something like 87% of its games since 2020. He does not lose Week 1. He does not lose to inferior competition. He does not let his team down eight-loss FCS programs. He wins by 60 in the opener and then he goes home and studies film. There is a reason he has two national titles on the resume.

Stockton is the real story. Everybody wanted to know if the offense would work with a new quarterback. Answer: yes. He threw the ball on time, he did not force anything, and he took care of the football. That is exactly what the coaching staff needed to see. This team is going to be a nightmare to prepare for by October.

HARD HAT AND LUNCH PAIL FOR ATHENS. Nate Frazier is going to be a top-five NFL running back prospect if he stays healthy. The way he ran between the tackles against a Tennessee State front was ridiculous. There was a play in the second where he ran through three arm tackles and dragged a linebacker into the end zone. That is not something you can coach. That is just being different.

Tennessee State did what Tennessee State was hired to do. Show up. Get paid. Go home. Nothing wrong with that.

Meanwhile Georgia is officially the SEC's team to beat again. The polls will not move because Georgia was already ranked at the top, but the video from Sanford Stadium is going to be in every recruit's living room this week. That matters more than any poll shift.

What this means

Kirby Smart is still the best coach in college football. It is not close. His program has a floor of 12 wins. His preseason opener is not a game, it is a showcase. Everybody in Athens knew Georgia would win by 40. Georgia won by 60. That is the difference between a good program and a machine.

Gunner Stockton passed the eye test in his first start as the full-time QB1. That was the question mark walking into the season. It is not a question mark anymore. Stockton throws on time, makes the safe read, and does not turn the ball over. That is Kirby-approved quarterback play. The offense is going to be fine.

Nate Frazier is a top-five NFL running back prospect. That is not a September overreaction. That is what the tape says. He runs with power. He runs with vision. He runs through arm tackles like they are nothing. In a season where the SEC has produced light on marquee running backs, Frazier is the one who could be the best in the country by December.

What's next

The SEC schedule is the test. Georgia has played one game and it was a scrimmage. The polls have not really moved. The polls will start moving in October when Georgia has to prove it can beat real teams. That is when we learn whether this Bulldog team is a two-loss team or a one-loss team. Kirby has been in this position before. He almost always finds a way.

Tennessee State did what Tennessee State was hired to do. Show up, get paid, go home, nothing wrong with that. FCS opponents are the pre-season for real programs. Georgia used them for exactly that.