It is becoming more likely the Ohio Valley Conference champion will be decided by heads or tails after five weeks of league play.

With the two undefeated teams in the OVC (Tennessee State and Tennessee-Martin) not scheduled to play each other this season, the automatic bid to the 2006 Division I-AA Playoffs could come down to a coin flip.

“Personally, I really wish we were playing UT Martin this year,” said Tennessee State head coach James Webster. “That (system) goes way beyond me.”

The controversy has been an issue in the seasons the NCAA has allowed teams to play an 11-game schedule.

“We don’t refer to it as a problem,” OVC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said. “It is what it is which is a agreement that was voted on.”

Tennessee State administrators negotiated a deal with the OVC when they entered the conference in 1988 that allows the Tigers to play four “Classics” or games against traditionally black colleges.

“It was part of the agreement when TSU came into the league and we allowed them to do that because it was such a benefit to do that,” OVC associate commissioner Ron English said.

TSU gets thousands of dollars in income from these matchups and was an essential sticking point to having the school with the largest city agreeing to join the OVC.

“I’d rather have it that way than not having Tennessee State be in the conference at all,” Jacksonville State head coach Jack Crowe said. “Nashville is a great media market but also it’s tough for us to say this would not be decided on the field.”

Most of the conference coaches have remained neutral to the idea of not having a true round robin schedule mostly because they recognize it will be that way for good once Austin Peay joins the conference next season.

“Essentially, it’s 50-50 on which team would win between Tennessee State and Tennessee-Martin,” Eastern defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said. “So a coin flip is about the same.”

Division I-A conferences across the country with more than eight members have structured legislation on how to deal with two teams tying for a championship. The ACC, Big 12 and SEC all have championship games because they have 12 members. The Big Ten decides its automatic berth to the Bowl Championship Series by who hasn’t received the bid the longest.

For example, that is how Northwestern was able to accept a Rose Bowl bid in 1995 when the Wildcats were tied with Ohio State with identical 8-0 conference records.

The Pac 10 changed its policy this year by making its schools play a nine-game conference schedule ensuring nobody can avoid a school.

“Playing a nine-game conference schedule is not something we want when we are trying to schedule future non-conference games but they say it produces a real champion,” Arizona director of media relations Tom Duddleston said.

Another issue that will make this less of a controversy is the NCAA vote on an annual 12-game schedule. That will allow TSU to play its four classic games in its non-conference slate every year.

“The 12-game proposal eliminates this completely,” Steinbrecher said. “That vote will be around the (playoffs).”

If all three teams still mathematically eligible for the OVC title win out, it will be the first time a team (Eastern) would have a higher winning percentage and not earn the championship.

“It just so happens the rotating schedule (for TSU) this year is Martin and since they are both undefeated it’s an issue,” said Eastern acting head coach Mark Hutson. “As far as I’m concerned, that was the schedule before the season started.”