Oscar 2014 Best Supporting Actor Nominations Predictions: Could Will Forte Surprise in the Category?

The Best Supporting Actor race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in years with Jared Leto leading the contenders.

Leto recently won the New York Film Critics award for Best Supporting Actor making him the top contender for the award at the Oscars. While two of the NYFCC's past five winners have not obtained Oscar nominations, Leto secured himself a Satellite nomination and an Indie Spirit Award nomination. Additionally, the actor already scored a Breakthrough Performance award at the Hollywood Film Awards making him a solid choice for the prize.

Will Forte is also looking like a safe bet for a nomination after receiving the award from National Board of Review. As with the NYFCC, one out of the past five NBR winners has not been nominated for the Best Supporting Actor. However, the NBR has a better track record with the category then the NYFCC. Out of their last five winners, two went on to win the Academy Award. Forte also has an Independent Spirit Award making him a great threat to Leto.

However, it is still too early to call the race. There are still at least 18 contenders who could easily sneak into the race including Michael Fassbender for "12 Years a Slave," Daniel Bruhl for "Rush," Tom Hanks for "Saving Mr. Banks," Bradley Cooper for "American Hustle," James Gandolfini for "Enough Said," and Jake Gyllenhaal for "Prisoners."

The race is likely to become more exciting when the Los Angeles Film Critics and the Boston Film Critics announce their awards on Sunday.