The 2018 season seems at least on the surface as a pivotal one for the West Virginia football program with expectations amongst the fan base and those in the program soaring.

That is emphasized by the fact that the Mountaineers failed to capitalize on those pre-season expectations a season ago limping to a forgettable 7-6 record.

Yes, some, if not a large part, of that was due to the broken finger of starting quarterback Will Grier that caused him to miss the final three games of the season, but now heading into the seventh year in the Big 12 Conference West Virginia is hoping to finally make a splash.

In the previous six years, the Mountaineers have only finished as a high as third place and the spotlight is on the program to at least secure a spot in the conference title game. And there is reason for optimism considering the bulk of the offense, including Grier, returns to steer the ship.

Sure there are absolutely questions on the roster, notably on the defensive side of the ball, but it seems the time is now for many if West Virginia wants to move up the conference pecking order.

So as part of that we’ll dive into some over/under on stats and how we see them playing out in 2018.

Will Grier touchdown passes: 38.5 – OVER

Grier spent his first year with the program throwing for 34 touchdowns in basically eight games and a quarter as he missed the bulk of the Texas game as well as the Oklahoma game and the bowl contest. Quarterbacks typically make gigantic leaps in year two in the West Virginia system and Grier is an elite talent at the position that has only made strides to become even better this fall.