It's far too early in the season to be talking about such things as a bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs, but Carnegie Mellon has gotten off to the kind of start that sets those dreams in motion.

The Tartans are 3-0 heading into their game today against visiting Franklin & Marshall (1-1) at 1 p.m. at Gesling Stadium.

"I'm pleased with our progress," CMU coach Rich Lackner said. "Certainly, the coaches and players are on the same page. We think we are becoming a good football team. We think we can compete."

So far, opponents haven't been able to compete against the Tartans.

Combining an opportunistic defense that has scored a touchdown and a safety with a bruising running game and an efficient passing attack, Carnegie Mellon has yet to be seriously challenged, outscoring its opponents, 88-12. The Tartans average nearly 300 yards rushing, led by Travis Sivek, and quarterback Kevin Mulkern has completed 65 percent of his passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns.

Franklin & Marshall was idle last week after a 21-13 loss to Kean despite Kyle Turner's 240 yards passing and two touchdowns.

Other key games:

Rowan (1-0) at Robert Morris (1-2), 1 p.m. -- The Rowan Profs, ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division III, have been idle the past two weeks after opening with a 32-8 victory against Christopher Newport News. Mike Orihel completed 23 of 33 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown in that game. Eleven players caught at least one pass, led by Joe Markham and Jim Migliore with five each. ... Robert Morris, unranked in Division I-AA Mid-Major, ended a school-record seven-game losing streak with a 35-14 victory against Butler as Erik Cwalinski passed for four touchdowns. ... The Colonials held Butler to minus-24 yards rushing and 44 total yards. ... Rowan rallied from a 28-7 deficit in the third quarter to defeat Robert Morris in overtime, 35-28, in the inaugural meeting last season.

Sacred Heart (1-2) at Duquesne (2-1), 1 p.m. -- The Dukes are playing their third consecutive game against a team from the Northeast Conference, with victories against Robert Morris and Saint Francis the past two weeks. ... Duquesne quarterback Scott Knapp has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 810 yards and eight touchdowns, seven to Bruce Hocker. Hocker has 13 catches for 289 yards and ranks 11th in Division I-AA in receiving yards per game (96.3) and fourth in scoring (14.0 ppg). ... Knapp's only interception came on a desperation heave at the end of the first half in the opener against Bucknell. ... Dukes are No. 6 in The Sports Network NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major poll. ... Sacred Heart defeated Duquesne, 31-15, in the 2001 ECAC Classic in the only other meeting.

California (2-1) at East Stroudsburg (1-2), 1:05 p.m. -- California, which moved back into the Division II rankings at No. 25 after a two-week hiatus, have a balanced attack with quarterback Joe Ruggiero (559 yards passing) and running back Brandon Lombardy (375 yards rushing, 7 TDs). ... East Stroudsburg quarterback Jim Terwilliger, the 2005 Harlon Hill winner as the top player in Division II, is the all-time leader at this level with 12,066 career passing yards.

IUP (2-0) at Millersville (1-2), 6 p.m. -- IUP, under Lou Tepper in his first season as head coach, is the only undefeated team in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. IUP leads the league in points per game (34.0) and fewest points allowed per game (13.0). ... IUP running back Chris Morgan (Woodland Hills) rushed for a school-record 286 yards on 18 carries and scored three touchdowns in a 35-20 victory against East Stroudsburg last week. He is the school's third all-time rusher with 2,925 yards, trailing Aamir Dew's 3,623 and Michael Mann's 4,805.

Thiel (1-2) at Thomas More (2-0), 1:30 p.m. -- Trevar Stellman threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Chase Weber with 36 seconds remaining to give Thomas More a 25-23 victory against Hanover and a 16-yard scoring pass to Weber with 2:21 left in a 21-20 victory against Grove City. ...Thiel's Steve Minton has rushed for 240 yards this season and is the school's third all-time leader with 2,241 yards. ...Thiel quarterback Billy Blankenship has passed for 492 yards and one touchdown. He has been intercepted six times.

Slippery Rock (2-1) at Kutztown (1-1), 6:05 p.m. -- The matchup features the top two passing teams in the PSAC, with Kutztown No. 1 at 282.5 yards per game and Slippery Rock at 254 yards. Slippery Rock quarterback Nate Crookshank is coming off a career-high 336 yards passing in a 46-0 victory against Mansfield that included a school-record 95-yard touchdown pass to Paul Favers.