Final showdown

But Underwood comes from Oklahoma, which is college football country, and every college football fan knows that it’s better to have the ball last than first. It gives you the opportunity to make up for a lot of mistakes with one great comeback.

But in this case, it was even more of an asset. Whether by choice or by producer design, Bo began his competition with "The Long, Long Road," his original song. Bland, but better than "Inside Your Heaven," which he finished with. Underwood, meanwhile, got that out of the way first, and finished with "Angels Brought Me Here" (making Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian very proud).

"Angels Brought Me Here" is not a fantastic song either, and Underwood sang the first part of it like she was hoping the fans would quickly forget it.

But midway through the vocals, the band and background singers kicked in, and Underwood kicked it up a couple of notches. She ended the song, and the competition, with a glory note that trumped the rest of a dull night, and probably was enough for her to win.

A brief recap of the night:

Round one
Both Bice and Underwood went with ballads. Apparently, they and the producers decided that the 3,000 in the audience at the Hollywood Theatre needed a good bit of sedating before making up their minds. Bice sang "The Long, Long Road," while Underwood got to sing the Idol original "Inside Your Heaven." Simon gave the round to Carrie, but Bo seemed to earn at least a draw with the audience.

Paula on Bo: "It’s really hard singing a song nobody knows, but I get chills watching people vibe to you. You could sing Webster’s Dictionary – it all sounds good to me."

Paula on Carrie: "You sang the song beautifully. You had a couple of off notes, but who the heck cares?"

Round two
Bice started with "Vehicle," by the Ides of March, and finally got the crowd in gear in his best performance of the night. For some reason, Carrie picked Martina McBride’s "Independence Day," which as Simon pointed out wasn’t a great choice for her. This round went to Bo, no contest.

Randy on Bo: "That’s what I’m talking about! That’s how you put it down! That was hot!"

Randy on Carrie: "I gotta say, welcome back Carrie. That’s the Carrie I love."

Round three
It was Bo Bice’s turn to sing "Inside Your Heaven," which he did pretty well given the fact that he’s a Southern rocker trying to sing a cloying love song. Carrie sang "Angels Brought Me Here," and pulled off the round – and perhaps the competition – with a strong finish.

Simon on Bo: "It’s the only time I’ve seen you nervous throughout the competition. It has been, for us, an absolute pleasure having you on the program."

Simon on Carrie: "Carrie, you have a lot of guts. You’re competing against someone who is older than you and more experienced – but Carrie, I think you’ve done well enough to win this competition."

Who will be the champ?
If you're voting on the best performer right now, Bo Bice should be the choice. No contestant has done more to earn the title than he has. Unlike Carrie and other rivals like Constantine Maroulis, Anthony Fedorov and Scott Savol, he had hardly any airtime at all early in the competition, and started from scratch in the semifinals. Bice hasn't let up since. He's taken the biggest risks and shown the greater range; he should win it all.

Carrie Underwood, meanwhile, was a huge TV presence during the auditions, anointed a favorite early in the competition and declared by Simon to be the future winner and top record-seller just a couple of weeks into the final round. But since then, she's essentially stagnated.

She's struggled most of the time she's deviated from the country genre — with her cover of Heart's "Alone" the notable exception — and will definitely need some coaching before she's ready for her close-up. She has nowhere near the stage presence Bice does — the only time she moves on stage is to brush the hair from her face.

However, she's a whole lot younger than Bice and has that great voice and a personality that's easy to root for. Ultimately, her likability and potential will draw more votes than Bice’s pure talent. Look for Carrie Underwood to be crowned the next "American Idol" on Wednesday.

Craig Berman is a writer in Washington, D.C.

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