CMA Awards: Will Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood reign?

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In the Country Music Assn. Award race for best female vocalist of the year, winners tend to reign for a while, holding on to the crown for a few consecutive years, then suddenly get dethroned.

For example, there were winning streaks by Reba McEntire (1984-86), Kathy Mattea (1989-90), Mary Chapin Carpenter (1992-93), Trisha Yearwood (1997-98) and Martina McBride (2003-04). Recently, Carrie Underwood won three in a row (2006-08), then got usurped by Taylor Swift, who couldn’t hold on to the category when Miranda Lambert toppled her last year. So now what?

Below are the contenders. You predict. Winners will be unveiled on Nov. 9 (CBS, 8 p.m. Pacific/Eastern).

-- Tom O’Neil