Though the hunters of England are truly now the hunted, manager Claudio Ranieri has stuck to his pragmatic ways as champions Leicester City begin defence of their title Saturday at KC Stadium against Hull City Tigers to kick off the 2016-17 Premier League season.And that means the first benchmark Ranieri has set for the Foxes is again 40 points despite their incredibly amplified profile following their unlikely title run and upcoming European adventures in their first Champions League appearance.Forty points, forty points, Ranieri responded when asked about the teams goals following Leicester Citys 2-1 loss to FA Cup winners Manchester United in the Community Shield match at Wembley Stadium last Sunday, using his fingers to make the 4 and the 0 for added emphasis as reporters chuckled.Dont laugh. Im starting with the same philosophy and the same humility … what we achieved, it was fantastic. But now, forty points. Forty points is the target, and then we will see how many months less to the end of the season.Leicester City were the story of European football last season, bucking 5,000-to-1 odds to win their first Premier League title in franchise history. The Foxes finished 10 points clear of runners-up Arsenal and became just the sixth team to lift the trophy in the Premier League era, and the first outsiders since Blackburn Rovers in 1995.With the title came the spoils, including their first taste of high-calibre international play during the summer. Leicester City participated in the International Champions Cup and won one of their three matches -- beating Celtic in a penalty shootout before defeats to European powers Paris-St. Germain and Barcelona by a combined 8-2 scoreline.But success always comes with a price. In addition to re-working Jamie Vardys contract for the second time in less than a year, Leicester City continue to sweat out transfer rumours regarding 2016 PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez and lost midfield engine NGolo Kante, the apple of Antonio Contes eye as the new Chelsea manager reshapes the 2015 champions.The good news, though, is Kante is so far the only noticeable departure from this championship-winning side. And the Foxes went about their summer transfer business similar to seasons past -- hoping shrewd under-the-radar moves will reap dividends similar to how Vardy, Mahrez and Kante became the fulcrum of this unlikely champion squad.Nampalys Mendy was brought in from French side Nice with the hope he can provide some of the box-to-box coverage Mahrez did, and Rainieri -- who signed a new four-year contract Wednesday -- is quite familiar with the 24-year-old, having coached him during a brief spell at Monaco.Leicester also added Nigeria international Ahmed Musa, who scored 15 goals in all competitions for CSKA Moscow last season and showed plenty of pace in his appearance off the bench in Sundays 2-1 loss to FA Cup winners Manchester United at Wembley Stadium and scored twice in the loss to Barcelona. Still, Musa likely will start the season behind Shinji Okazaki on the striker depth chart but will have a chance to make his mark as the Foxes juggle domestic and continental commitments.Vardy scored Leicesters goal at Wembley, showing no signs of resting on the laurels of his 24-goal season in 2015-16 and being one of the few bright spots in Englands disastrous European Championship campaign this summer. While disappointed with the loss to United, newcomer Luis Hernandez thinks the team can use the defeat as incentive to start the season with three points.I think it is important that we have the hurt in the next game Saturday, said Hernandez, who came over on a free transfer from Spains Sporting de Gijon, to LCFC TV. I think it is important to start the season well after last season. I hope we can play well and get the win.I thought the team played a good game and we showed that again this season we can compete with the Premier Leagues big clubs.No one, though, will confuse the Hull City Tigers with one of those big clubs, and they will be hard-pressed to become the first team in the Premier League era to open the season with a victory over the reigning champions and end a 23-match winless squad among those sides (0-4-19). Hull City are back in the top flight after fighting their way to promotion via playoff following their fourth-place finish in the Championship.But there is plenty of drama surrounding the Tigers. Steve Bruce -- the most successful manager in the clubs history -- shockingly resigned last month after the team failed to help itself in the summer transfer window as his relationship with vice-chairman Ehab Allam deteriorated beyond saving.Mohamed Diame, who scored the goal that secured Hulls promotion, opted to leave for Championship side Newcastle United in belief the Magpies will win promotion while the Tigers get relegated for the second time in three seasons. That sentiment has been echoed by oddsmakers, who have made Hull the most likely candidate to finish in the bottom three.The Allam family, who have few supporters among the fan base, is reportedly in negotiations to sell the team, but has yet to finalise any deal with a potential buyer. Caretaker manager Mike Phelan is trying to limit the distractions, but even he doesnt have a deal beyond Saturdays match against the reigning champs.Weve done some homework on Leicester but they are what they are -- theyre the Champions of the Premier League, Phelan told the teams official website after Hull wrapped up their preseason with a 2-1 loss to Italian side Torino in Austria. But were going into this having earned the right to be in the Premier League and we shouldnt forget the work that was put in last season to get there.Both teams came through their respective preseason schedules unscathed with respect to injuries and should field their first-choice starting XIs.The teams last met in the Premier League during the 2014-15 season, when Leicester City took four of a possible six points. Mahrez accounted for the match-winner in a 1-0 victory at KC Stadium before the teams played to a scoreless draw in the return encounter. Custom Rays Jerseys . 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Mississippi States offense is a work in progress after a disjointed opening week performance.South Carolina can relate.The Bulldogs (0-1) and Gamecocks (1-0) will meet in Starkville, Mississippi, on Saturday night with both programs hoping to find some consistent playmakers that can help them compete in the Southeastern Conference.South Carolina needed Elliott Frys 55-yard field goal in the final minute to beat Vanderbilt 13-10 on Sept. 1. The Gamecocks used two quarterbacks in the win -- Perry Orth and Brandon McIlwain. First-year Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp said Orth did enough to earn the start against the Bulldogs, but its clear that the competition continues.Its a tough call to make, Muschamp said.Mississippi State used two quarterbacks -- Damian Williams and Nick Fitzgerald -- in its season-opening 21-20 loss to South Alabama. Williams played the majority of the game, throwing for 143 yards and running for 93 more. Coach Dan Mullen hasnt revealed his plans under center for the South Carolina game.The Bulldogs will also try to get star receiver Fred Ross more involved in the offense. He caught six passes for just 34 yards against South Alabama. His best play came on a 46-yard run in the first half.Theres only one ball, Mullen said. There are a lot of people who would like it into their hands, so well keep working as hard as we can to get as many people touches as we can.---Some things to watch when Mississippi State hosts South Carolina:JEFFERSONS GOOD START: Mississippi State senior defensive end A.J. Jefferson was one of the few bright spots in the teams loss to South Alabama. He made seven tackles, including a career-high four for a loss and two sacks. Jeffersons 28+ tackles for a loss in his career rank sixth in MSU history.LEO LEADS THE DEFENSE: Redshirt freshman linebacker Leo Lewis led Mississippi State with nine tackles, including two for a loss, in his colllege debut against South Alabama.dddddddddddd The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder will likely be a mainstay on defense for the next few years. Said Mullen: He made some plays. Its good to see him get some play action. As a young player he has to learn the standard of play and how to play hard every single snap.MORE ORTH: Mississippi State will get another dose of the Orth family this week against South Carolina. After losing to South Alabama 21-20 at home last week with sophomore quarterback Evan Orth on the roster, the Bulldogs will face his brother, Gamecocks starting quarterback Perry Orth, on Saturday night. While Evan Orth did not play, he did watch -- and share some details and schemes with his brother this week.MORE COWBELLS: Ask any South Carolina player things they know about Mississippi State and one of the first things that come up are the cowbells. Bulldog fans are famous around the Southeastern Conference for ringing the loud, metallic-sounding cowbells to the distraction of opponents. Those cowbells, defensive lineman Dante Sawyer said, smiling and shaking his head. South Carolina has not played at Mississippi State since 2011 so almost no one on the roster has much firsthand experience at the droning sound except longtime SEC head and assistant coach Will Muschamp, the Gamecocks first-year head coach. We have our work cut out for us in Starkville, he said.SOUTH CAROLINAS STREAK: South Carolina has won the last seven games in the series dating back to 2000. The Bulldogs last beat the Gamecocks 17-0 in Starkville on Sept. 25, 1999.---AP Sports Writer Pete Iacobelli in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this story.---Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP---AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '