Lots of thoughts following a long weekend of football:

• Super Six: The state high school football championships will take place this weekend in Wheeling, but will do so without a representative from the Mid-Ohio Valley.

That's the first time that has happened since 2004.

Still, there are some great games going to take place.

The Class AA game on Friday night pits two perennial heavyweights, Bluefield and Wayne.

The Class AAA game on Saturday afternoon will witness South Charleston trying to win back-to-back titles against Brooke, who has accomplished a football renaissance under first-year head coach Tom Bruney.

The Class A game on Saturday night features Madonna and Man, a North-South, private-public matchup.

Of the six teams playing for state titles, three were the top seeds (Brooke, Wayne and Madonna), two were seeded No. 2 (South Charleston and Man), while Bluefield was a No. 6 seed.

• WVU: If the Mountaineers beat Rutgers - and that is no gimme as the betting line is even -to finish 9-3, look for West Virginia to go to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, quite possibly against old rival Virginia Tech.

The Gator Bowl will take place at 1 p.m. on New Year's Day and will be nationally televised by CBS.

Yes, there are many other scenarios that can play themselves out behind the closed doors of the bowl officials, but this one looks the most likely.

• Marshall: We never like to see anybody lose their job.

But after the way Marshall University's football team ended Mark Snyder's fifth season as head coach on Saturday, the handwriting was on the wall.

It was no surprise when word leaked out Sunday that Snyder had resigned.

He had five years and never was able to give Marshall fans a winner.

Yes, the Herd is bowl eligible and since the bowl games need 68 teams to fill their bowls, Marshall may get a bid.

But it was time for a new direction in Huntington.

Now, it's up to first-year athletics director Mike Hamrick to make what may be the most important decision of his tenure.

The rumors already are flying, as they always do in these situations.

• Ohio University: Congratulations to the Bobcats, who will play for the Mid American Conference championship this Saturday in Detroit.

OU soundly beat a good Temple team on Friday at Peden Stadium and will now will face an even better Central Michigan squad, coached by former WVU assistant Butch Jones.

Win or lose, the 'Cats will be going bowling. Good for them.

What Snyder couldn't do in Huntington, Frank Solich has accomplished in Athens.

• Nick Swisher: He's everywhere. In case you missed it, he not only attended the Florida-Florida State game but was ESPN's guest picker along with Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit.

Contact Dave Poe at dpoe@newsandsentinel.com