[Tuck4Bama]

BATON ROUGE -- The week before an LSU game, one thing is certain: Whether the Tigers face a Southeastern Conference or an Ivy League team, Coach Les Miles will label it a "quality opponent."

He did so Monday at his weekly press conference, although LSU does not face an Ivy League team this week. Instead, they travel to Starkville, Miss., for their opener against Mississippi State in an SEC Western Division game that will be televised nationally by ESPN.

Not surprisingly, Miles insisted that, with the Bulldogs, there is ample room for caution.

The questions Miles faced were not confined exclusively to the Bulldogs.

He also handled queries about the Tigers' lofty poll status, as they enter the season ranked No. 2 in most major polls, and how prepared the offense and the special teams -- two areas over which Miles voiced some quibbles after the team's scrimmages -- were for the game.

But before he delved into the specifics, Miles made a point of outlining what he saw as Mississippi State's strengths, because regardless of polls, that is the team the Tigers play.

"We're in game week, and you can see it, you can see it in the faces of our players," he said. "And we don't need anything to motivate us more than our opponent; a very quality opponent."

As evidence, Miles said Mississippi State "returns 10 starters on offense, their O-line virtually intact, a quarterback with a lot of experience, got injured but played in seven games."

LSU not ignoring merits of opening opponent- NOLA.com