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If Georgia is going to live up to its preseason hype, it's probably a good idea to get over the South Carolina speed bump when the Gamecocks roll into Athens during Week 3.

The Bulldogs have dropped four of the last five games against their border rivals to the East, including a devastating 38-35 loss last season in rain-soaked Columbia, South Carolina.

Georgia will likely be picked to win the SEC East when the assembled members of the media meet in Hoover, Alabama, next month. Holding serve against the Gamecocks will establish head coach Mark Richt's crew as the front-runner in the division.

For South Carolina, it's a chance to make a statement.

After a 7-6 season a year ago, the program has lost the luster it had when it reeled off three straight 11-win seasons from 2011 to 2013. If South Carolina, in the face of massive roster turnover, can go on the road and upset Georgia between the hedges, it will signal that the program hasn't taken a step back and is still a force to be reckoned with in the East.