female vocalist of the year

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert were the IT couple of the CMA Awards this year, taking home the crowns for Male Vocalist and Female Vocalist of the Year, respectively. The two, who got engaged earlier this year, were probably happier for each other than they were about their own wins...

Although we fully expect the 44th annual CMA Awards to be a night of surprises, The Boot has some solid predictions for Wednesday night's broadcast. From a veteran getting overdue recognition to a dark horse winner, here's who we think will take home that sparkling glass trophy in some of the night's top categories...