Despite a calendar that still reads September, both the SEC and ACC saw their conference races clarified Saturday after matchups between ranked teams.

Urban Meyer’s arrival in Gainesville was supposed to revolutionize Florida’s offense, but it was his defense that led the Gators to a 16-7 victory over Tennessee in Meyer’s first big game as head coach on Saturday.

The spread-option attack that Meyer brought with him from Utah remains a work in progress, but the Florida defense – which allowed Tennessee to gain just 213 yards -is the biggest reason the team is 3-0.

The season is still young, but the result of this game established a clear pecking order in the SEC’s East division, with Florida and Georgia on top after the Bulldogs also improved to 3-0 with 44-7 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Plenty could change before the two powerhouses meet in Jacksonville on October 29, but for now, the game annually billed as the “world’s largest outdoor cocktail party” looks like it will decide the East’s representative in the SEC championship game.

Before the Gators can think too much about conference titles, however, they must get more production from their offense. Quarterback Chris Leak had moments against Tennessee when he appeared comfortable in Meyer’s complex scheme, but his overall production was lacking against the first quality defense he and the Gators have faced this season. Leak finished 17-of-26 for 179 yards and no touchdowns, but did not throw an interception.

Florida’s lone touchdown flashed a glimpse of Meyer’s genius: The play began as a shotgun option run to the left, but Leak’s pitch went to receiver Andre Caldwell, who was running against the flow of the play to the right. The reverse took Tennessee completely by surprise, and Caldwell did not encounter a defender until the goal line on an 18-yard touchdown run.

Tennessee, whose defense was nearly as stout as Florida’s, had no such luck when it tried to get tricky. Trailing 10-7 in the third quarter, the Volunteers botched a fake punt on 4thand-9 from their own 35, and Florida turned its good fortune into another field goal and a six-point lead. Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer will certainly face questions for that call, but he has a bigger issue on his hands.

For much of the past two seasons, Fulmer has employed a two-quarterback system with mixed success. Rick Clausen started against Florida, but was ineffective and quickly pulled in favor of Erik Ainge, who had started the Vols’ opener two weeks ago. With Ainge playing the entire second half, Tennessee was shut out. It remains to be seen who will start the Vols’ next game, another stern test at no. 3 LSU next Saturday.

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In the ACC, Florida State made a statement against conference newcomer Boston College after appearing vulnerable in a season-opening win over Miami. The visiting Seminoles grabbed an early two-touchdown lead, gave it back before halftime, then shut out the Eagles in the second half for a 28-17 win that gives them a leg up in the conference’s Atlantic division. Most important for FSU, inexperienced quarterback Drew Weatherford is showing signs of progress and finished 20-of-38 for 243 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

In the ACC’s Coastal division, Miami avoided falling to 0-2 on the year with a 36-30, triple-overtime thriller over Clemson. The Tigers, who missed a chance to win the game in the closing seconds, nevertheless proved that they can play with the conference’s heavyweights. Coach Tommy Bowden, so disappointed by the loss to Miami that he remained hunched over on the field for several moments, may once again have the fate of his season decided against his father’s Florida State team – an Atlantic division rival – on November 12.

Miami, meanwhile, is looking up at unbeaten Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech in the Coastal standings, but has yet to play either school.

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A week after the Big Ten’s “big three” – Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio State – all lost, the conference earned a measure of redemption Saturday. Those three all bounced back against lesser competition, while Purdue, perceived as having the best chance to steal the conference crown from out side that group, remained undefeated with a road win at Arizona. But it was Michigan State that announced its intention to compete for the Big Ten’s BCS berth with a 44-41 overtime win at Notre Dame.

The Spartans have owned the Irish in recent years, winning seven of nine in the series, including a record five straight at Notre Dame Stadium. On Saturday, it appeared as if they would be done in by some vintage Notre Dame magic when the Irish rallied from 21 points down in the third quarter to force overtime. But Michigan State answered a Notre Dame field goal in overtime with a touchdown run by Jason Teague.

The loss might deflate some ballooned expectations of Notre Dame after upset wins in the season’s first two weeks, but the Irish proved in coming back against Michigan State that they will continue to compete even when adversity strikes, something that will come in handy in upcoming games against USC and Tennessee.

Michigan State, meanwhile, looks like it can play with any team in the Big Ten so long as quarterback Drew Stanton, who threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns in South Bend, remains healthy enough to operate the Spartans’ spread offense.

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After just three weeks, the race for Pasadena is already starting to shape up, with no. 1 USC and no. 2 Texas looking down at everyone as long as they continue to win. Neither broke a sweat Saturday in dispatching Arkansas and Rice, respectively, but – for USC at least – the competition is about to get tougher. The Trojans face road tests the next two weeks at Oregon and Arizona State, both capable of putting a scare into the defending national champions.

Before the season, Texas knew it would have to beat Oklahoma on October 8 to have a successful year. That is starting to look like a formality after Oklahoma fell out of the polls altogether with a loss at UCLA Saturday. The way things appear, the Longhorns could have relatively smooth sailing all the way to Pasadena.

Mr. Levine is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com.