How would you like to be Terrance Cain right about now?
After winning a tough three-way battle for the Utah quarterback job in August, you did about everything you possibly could to help the Utes win.
You led the Utes to six victories in seven games and the No. 16 ranking in the BCS standings.
Your only loss was by a 7-point margin on the road to an Oregon team that is now ranked No. 8 in the BCS standings.
Your stats after seven games were nearly identical, even a little better to those of Brian Johnson, who simply turned out to be Mountain West Conference offensive player of the year in 2008.
Your stats after seven games were very similar to a guy named Alex Smith in his first year as Ute quarterback in 2003 when the Utes were also 6-1 through seven games. Smith simply turned out to be the No. 1 choice in the NFL Draft a year later.
Under your direction, your team was unbeaten in MWC play and still in contention for a second straight championship.
Despite all that, you were replaced at halftime of your eighth start by freshman Jordan Wynn, who hadn't played a down in two months, not a single play in his college career. You were replaced despite completing 10 of 13 passes with no interceptions and no fumbles.
The fact that you were sacked twice and could only manage to lead your team to three measly points in the first half warranted the change in the eyes of the Ute coaches.
Your replacement actually ended up having worse stats than you — completing 9 of 14 passes for 41 fewer yards, but somehow the offense was able to score 19 points in the second half for him and just three in the first half when you played.
Now it's looking like you may not play the rest of the year as long as the 19-year-old freshman doesn't goof up too much.
Such is the life of college quarterbacks these days. Whole careers can change on a handful of plays.
Who knows — if Cain had been able to avoid back-to-back sacks on consecutive plays late in the first half Saturday night and lead the Utes to a score instead of taking the Utes out of field goal range, perhaps he would have started the second half and been the one to lead his team to 19 points.
What if a Wyoming defender had been able to hold onto an errant pass from Wynn in the red zone that was right in his hands, he might have gone 90 yards for a score that would have likely killed the Utes' chances. Wynn might have been back on the bench instead of staying in the game and leading the Utes to victory.
Of course, Ute coaches will tell you they have been concerned with Cain's progress over the season and were thinking of making a switch to Wynn, regardless of a few plays.
Don't get me wrong — I think the Ute coaches were wise to give Wynn some playing time before November. The Utes were just one play away from having to play him in a critical situation without any experience, if Cain happened to go down with an injury.
Some forget that Wynn actually had been named No. 1 in the Utes' fall camp, before being overtaken by Cain. With a strong arm, intelligence and poise, he's in line to be the quarterback of the future for Utah.
Saturday's surprising change could turn out to be a brilliant move by the Ute coaches. Now they have a legitimate choice of quarterbacks.
They can start Wynn this week against 0-8 New Mexico, and if he falters, it probably won't cost them the game and they can bring in Cain. If Wynn plays great, then he'll have even more experience and confidence going into the critical game against TCU the following week. Again, Cain will be ready if needed.
It's true that Cain is a better runner than Wynn, so the Utes may have to tweak their offense for the dropback style of Wynn, who isn't known for his legs. However, Wynn seems to be a more accurate passer, and if he can inspire more confidence in the offense, he should be playing.
The Ute coaches may surprise us today, or later this week, and tell us Cain is still the starting quarterback for the ninth straight game.
However, after the way Whittingham gushed about Wynn Saturday night, I expect Wynn to be starting Saturday against New Mexico.
I'm happy for Wynn that he's finally getting his chance to play after sitting on the bench for two months.
But I still feel bad for Terrance Cain, who didn't do quite enough to hold onto his job.
e-mail: sor@desnews.com