The Gators were all smiles after earning B.J. Hammer his first win as Allegheny head coach. Photo by Ed Mailliard

What do we know?

Much was discussed this week about the strength of each conference.

No. 2 UW-Whitewater and No. 8 UW-Platteville lived up to the hype, proving that the top of the WIAC is balanced and stronger than any other league. The Warhawks held on for 30-24 victory. Cole Wilber and Chris Nelson continue to split time at quarterback for the Warhawks, but Wilber stated his case to be QB1, throwing for 246 yards and three touchdowns

The NJAC opened up, thanks to Rowan's 10-7 upset of Christopher Newport. Salisbury is now the only undefeated team left in the conference. The Sea Gulls travel to Rowan this week. It's looking more likely that the depth of good teams in this conference will beat one another up, resulting in a one-bid year for the NJAC.

One major point discussed in the conference re-rank was how deceiving box scores can be. Is Hobart's 38-35 win over Merchant Marine evidence of a stronger and deeper Liberty League? Or is it proof that the league is weaker at the top than in years past? The Mariners haven't posted a winning season since 2003, but the offense has impressed so far this season in a 2-2 start. Merchant Marine is exactly the type of program I focused on while compiling the conference rankings. When a team can play its way up from bottom of the conference into the middle of the pack, it shows that the league is getting deeper and stronger. The Mariners, just two years removed from a winless Liberty League season, can really make some noise over the next two weeks as they face WPI and RPI.

On the flip side, Marietta defeated Baldwin Wallace 62-56. I don't think that means the OAC is deeper. I think that's further proof that the OAC is having a down year, as reflected in my rankings last week. That's a matchup that the Yellow Jackets traditionally win with ease. This was the Pioneers first win over Baldwin Wallace since 2006. Capital is off to a 3-1 start after a bold win over Otterbein. The Crusaders scored six touchdowns and attempted a two-point conversion after each score. They converted two of their first five attempts. Down seven with just over two minutes to play, the Crusaders scored a touchdown. Either way, there would be no overtime. Capital converted, taking a 42-41 lead which the defense preserved for the win. David Barnett caught eight passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns and hauled in the game-winning two pointer. So now Capital sits atop the OAC, tied with Mount Union and John Carroll, all 3-0 in league play. The Crusaders have already equaled their best win total since 2011. But if they lost their final six games, it would not be a shock. When one of the top teams in your conference after three weeks of conference play might not win another game, it's a down year for your league.

But does Thomas More's 10-point road win over Westminster mean that the Titans are close to reaching the top of the conference? Does that mean the PAC is deeper? Washington and Jefferson lost by 26 to the Saints. Does that mean the Titans are closer to the top of the PAC than the Presidents? The transitive property of football wins can be misleading.

The USA South made a big leap in the conference re-rank, led by No. 15 Huntingdon. But the Hawks were soundly beaten by North Carolina Wesleyan on Saturday. The Battling Bishops have been impressive this season. Remember, they hung for a quarter and a half against Mount Union and entered the fourth quarter tied with Stevenson. Are the Battling Bishops the best team in the conference? It's far too soon to tell, but they have the early edge in what now looks like a two-team race.

The IIAC was another conference that was hard to decipher. Dubuque felt that it deserved to be the undefeated team representing the conference in the Top 25. The Spartans forced six turnovers to knock off No. 24 Central, 35-17. Dubuque should receive a healthy number of votes, possibly even enough to crack this week's Top 25. Wartburg and Coe also entered Saturday undefeated in league play. The Kohawks remained perfect in the IIAC and overall, hanging on for a 37-34 win. Coe travels to Dubuque on October 15. First, the Kohawks must host Central. Those two results will tell us a lot about the strength of the conference. All four teams remain in contention. The fact that the IIAC has four teams in contention for a playoff berth boosts the overall value of the league.

In some leagues, the opening week of conference play instantly separated contenders from pretenders. There was a clear separation in the ODAC, as undefeated Guilford humbled previously unbeaten Catholic. The Quakers intercepted three passes in the first quarter and opened up a 56-0 halftime lead.

Plymouth State was off to its best start since 2007. Then the undefeated Panthers lost in overtime to Westfield State, 14-13, on a missed extra point. The MASCAC is now one of nine conferences without an undefeated team.

For the second week in a row, a 22-game losing streak was snapped. Allegheny earned the first win of the B.J. Hammer era, defeating Oberlin 26-21. The Gators started 17 freshmen and sophomores on offense and defense but opened up a 20-point first quarter lead.

"It's great for our kids and all those upperclassmen that bought into the changes. They deserve the win more than anyone," said Hammer. "I'm glad it was a tough, hard-fought win as opposed to one of those easy wins. It feels good to win."

The Gators had not won a game since defeating Hiram on September 20, 2014. They now have two wins since the beginning of the 2013 season.

"Coming from where I came from where you're winning big games in the playoffs, it feels just like those," said Hammer, the former Wabash player and coach. "That's what's special about football. Hopefully this will jumpstart our kids for the rest of the season and the future."

The fewer perennial doormats there are at the bottom of a league's standings, the higher the profile of the league becomes. The NCAC is top heavy with Wabash, Wittenberg, and DePauw. When the teams at the bottom like Allegheny become more than just an easy win on the schedule, the whole conference rises.

Two different games needed four overtimes to declare a winner. Lycoming totaled just 171 yards of offense, but Widener needed four overtimes to fight off the Warriors, 24-21. The teams ended regulation tied at 14. Lycoming forced four turnovers to keep the game tight. The Pride are now 3-0 in conference play, but narrow wins over Wilkes and Lycoming in consecutive weeks are not inspiring. On the other hand, learning how to survive close games against upset-minded competition could benefit the Pride down the stretch.

Averett and LaGrange also played four extra frames, but put up a whole bunch more points. LaGrange forced overtime by tying the game at 48 with 24 seconds left. The teams combined for 1160 yards of offense. Averett set a program record for points in a game, winning 65-62 on a Cole Westberry field goal following Octavious Ross' interception. High-scoring shootouts are not uncommon in the USA South. The resurgence of Averett and Ferrum so far this season is good news for the conference.

On tap:

Here's what to watch for on D3football.com this week.

Later today-- new Top 25 poll released

Monday--Around the Nation podcast featuring Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan. Also, Play of the Week. Submit nominations today if you haven't already.

Tuesday/Wednesday--Around the Region columns.

Thursday--Around the Nation column.

Friday--Quick Hits (the new, improved version of Triple Take featuring our panel's predictions and insight into the weekend's games).

Saturday--Game day. You know what Saturdays are for.

We've got great content coming at you all week, every week. Follow along and get to know D-III football beyond just your favorite team.

If you have ideas for an upcoming column or just want to talk some D-III football, get at me at @adamturer on Twitter or adam.turer@d3sports.com.