West Virginia’s 2018 football season came to an end Friday with a Camping World Bowl loss to Syracuse. Even though it’s been several days since that game, the way the season ended has been a bitter pill to swallow after the optimism that surrounded the Mountaineers in August.

After six years of being in the middle or bottom of the Big 12 pack, 2018 was viewed by both fans and media as the year West Virginia would break through and challenge Oklahoma for league supremacy. Ever since Will Grier, David Sills, and others announced last December that they’d return for this campaign, players continued to receive individual recognition; Grier was named preseason Big 12 Player of the Year and a First Team All-American. The quarterback backed up that hype in the season opener with five touchdown passes as WVU cruised past Tennessee 40-14 in Charlotte.

Despite a significant hiccup in October at Iowa State, the Mountaineers appeared to be continuing that momentum into November, controlling their own destiny for a berth in the College Football Playoff. That came to an end when WVU let a halftime lead slip away in a loss at Oklahoma State, but the Mountaineers had the simplest of scenarios to advance to the Big 12 championship game: beat Oklahoma and they would be in. However, the defense’s failure to stop several Sooner drives, coupled with two Grier fumbles returned for touchdowns, led to a 59-56 win for Oklahoma, and another opportunity lost for WVU. The bowl game loss to Syracuse meant three straight losses to end a season which started with promise.

Time will tell how the legacies for players like Grier and Sills will be remembered, although it’s likely to be positive. Grier endeared himself to the Mountaineer fan base over his two years in Morgantown, and most fans were understanding of his decision to not play in the Camping World Bowl in order to prepare for the NFL Draft. At the same time, though, the record doesn’t lie, and the fact remains that WVU finished fourth in a league where they were predicted to finish second, with a legitimate shot to win a home game over Oklahoma – a team since they haven’t beaten since joining the Big 12.

Now the question is not just who succeeds Grier at quarterback, but what’s next for the West Virginia program as a whole. As of Monday night, Dana Holgorsen is on the cusp of leaving to become the head coach at Houston, with the Cougars reportedly receiving permission from WVU to interview Holgorsen. Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital has already left for Texas State, so if athletic director Shane Lyons wants to stay in-house for his next coach the front-runner would have to be defensive coordinator Tony Gibson. Or does Lyons bring in someone new to see if that candidate can make strides in Morgantown? Expect the answers to be revealed by the end of the week.