In it to win it?

So....Lauren v. Scotty in the finale....I agree with DrK/L...who would've thunk it. I had high hopes for Lauren and she has failed me so far. I still think that she has it in her, but she continually holds back when she's on stage.

A lot of conspiracy theories are floating out there. Did AI rig the outcome? From day 1 they pimped the year of the Youngest contestants. Is it coincidental that the two youngest are in the finale? Especially a year after ratings were way down in the younger viewing categories?

Was Haley thrown under the bus?

I'm not sure that I believe any of the conspiracy theories but they are definitely interesting to contemplate.

Who is going to win? Here is my theory. I think that Scotty is probably going to win, however, there is a scenario that I can see Lauren winning.

#1 - Conspiracy Theory - AI has not only been calling this the year of the young performers, but early on, were calling it the year of a female AI. If you buy the conspiracy theories....this one could be rigged for a young female Idol this year.

#2 - The 50 state strategy - Interestingly enough, both Scotty and Lauren are from the South. The South is and always has been a strong AI voting bloc. You could count on the Southern performed getting a big push from the South. However, does one of the two have the South locked up? I don't think so, I think that Lauren and Scotty are both appealing to Southern voters. So who appeals to the rest of the country. I suspect that Scotty will do very well in the red states, while Lauren will appeal a lot more to the blue states...and this is where I see Lauren's advantage. Lauren is going to do better in the red states than Scotty will do in the blue states. Unless the blue states are turned off by the all-country finale...I can see Lauren walking away with the crown...but the question is whether they will turn out to vote.

What are your theories...and do you see any scenario in which either candidate wins?