That win Saturday night was nice.

It showed that LSU is capable of doing several good things that it was hopeful of being able to do before the season started.

It provided some validation.

But now comes the SEC opener.

It’s Tell the Truth Monday, 5 days before Mississippi State comes to Tiger Stadium.

It’s true that the Tigers should feel a lot better than they felt on the last Tell the Truth Monday. It’s true that they should have confidence going into this next game.

It’s also true that LSU has to prove it’s as good as Mississippi State.

LSU is 1-1. State is 2-0.

LSU looked really shaky in losing to what seems to be an average Florida State team, then it beat up on an outmanned Southern team.

State has had a few sloppy moments itself, but it beat Memphis handily (49-23) at home, then went on the road and beat Arizona handily (39-17). That doesn’t make the Bulldogs world beaters, but it does say this game will be a pretty good gauge of where the Tigers are.

LSU aspires to compare itself to Alabama. Brian Kelly was hired to put the Tigers in a position to do that.

But this is just the 3rd game of his 1st season. He has a long way to go to get the Tigers in position to be compared to Alabama –- or Texas A&M for that matter, that Appalachian State thing notwithstanding.

The truth is LSU tied Auburn for last in the SEC West last season, a game behind Mississippi State (and Texas A&M and Arkansas), though the Tigers did beat the Bulldogs.

But State definitely seems improved.

LSU might be improved. It might not.

This game will give us a better idea. The Tigers don’t like to have to prove themselves against the Bulldogs, but here we are.

State has featured its usual sharp passing game, pretty good balance from the run game and a very solid defense. It was unfazed by a 2-hour-plus weather delay in the opener and unfazed by a long trip and time-zone-change adjustment against Arizona.

With 16 starters returning from last season, the Bulldogs are experienced, have continuity and should be confident after these 1st 2 games.

LSU is still working on that stuff. It has a lot of new starters (not to mention a new coaching staff), not a whole lot of experience and superficial confidence after its victory against the FCS Jaguars.

That confidence can grow into something more substantial if the Tigers can take care of the Bulldogs.

It’s not unreasonable to attribute the slow start against Florida State, at least in part, to a lot of new players competing in a game for the first time under a new coaching staff.

It’s also not unreasonable to believe the fourth-quarter comeback that nearly produced a dramatic victory in the opener and the 37-0 first-quarter blitz on Saturday are signs of a team starting to figure out its early season identity.

But the truth is, that’s mostly conjecture.

LSU can demonstrate that it’s a team starting to figure out its early season identity by showing it can do a lot of the things it did against Southern (and in the 4th quarter 6 days earlier) against an SEC opponent –- and what is looking like a really good SEC opponent.

Can the rearranged offensive line handle the State defensive front? Can Jayden Daniels continue his solid decision-making and playmaking with his arm and legs against a defense that had 3 interceptions against Arizona? Can the running backs produce more like they did against Southern and less like they did against FSU?

Can the defense get off the field on third downs against Will Rogers more often than it did against FSU? Can it produce turnovers the way it did Saturday?

Can the special teams perform more like the unit that had a series of big plays against Southern rather than the one that had a series of big breakdowns against FSU?

LSU has played State more often than it has played anyone else. The Tigers have mostly dominated the series, leading 76-36-3, and have 26 victories in the past 30 meetings.

But they have won just 3 of the past 5 meetings.

LSU has become accustomed to being superior to State.

But in 2022, the truth is the Tigers have something to prove against the Bulldogs.