At one point this season, the Washington State football team was 4-0 and ranked #13 in the country with two wins against ranked teams. Quarterback Cameron Ward was playing stellar football, and the Cougars were firing on all cylinders. However, things quickly went downhill as they finished the season 5-7 (2-7) and in second-to-last place in the Pac-12. It was a disappointing finish to the season for Washington State, and to make matters worse, the Cougars will not be getting Ward back next season.

Cameron Ward announced on Friday that he will test the waters for the NFL Draft with the intention of entering his name in the transfer portal if he does stay in college. This is a tough blow for Washington State football, but it doesn't come as a big surprise.

First of all, Washington State is one of two teams that isn't leaving the Pac-12. They have a scheduling alliance with the Mountain West next year, but the Cougars essentially don't have a conference. If Ward were to stay there, he wouldn't get good exposure as the Cougars aren't going to play good teams, and they likely won't have many nationally televised games.

Secondly, Washington State isn't going to be competing for championships next season (the Pac-2 title doesn't count). If Ward does transfer, he will have an opportunity to compete on a much better team.

Ward finished this season with 3,732 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also completed 66% of his passes. He is going to get a lot of attention in the transfer portal.

There are a number of good teams losing their starting QB after this season, and the Washington State star would be a good replacement for any of them. There's a chance that Ward goes to the NFL, and his numbers will get attention from scouts, but if he does decide to stay in college, he'll have plenty of options.