Another vote for Taylor. His energy, personality, and love of music come through in his performances. I was initially worried that he might be too blues-y for mainstream, but his popularity seems to throw that out.
Chris Daughtrey hands down this year. Put that guy fronting any alternative rock band out there (Train, Three Doors Down) etc. and he would fit in perfectly right now with no work. The guy is gonna be a star regardless if he is the AI or not. This group is extremely strong and I can see a couple others making it whether they win or not (Paris, Mandisa, probably Taylor).