Oscar 2014 Best Actor Predictions: Could Matthew McConaughey, Robert Redford, and Bruce Dern Not Get Nominated for the Oscar?

The Best Actor race is always the most crowded race and the hardest to predict. However, 2013 is shaping up to be a different kind of year.

Three actors have already split the precursors. Matthew McConaughey won at the Gotham awards for his performance in "Dallas Buyers Club" beating out Chiwetel Ejiofor and Robert Redford. However, Redford claimed the New York Film Critics prize and later Bruce Dern took home the award for the National Board of Review.

All three of these actors have been in the conversation ever since their films made festival premieres. However, the fact that none of these organizations picked the same person shows the disparity in opinions and the level of performances this year's films have to offer.

While the Gotham Award's Best Actor prize is new and has no disernable effect on the Academy yet, McConaughey's transformation is likely to appeal to the Oscars. Redford can basically guarantee a spot in the top five Oscar contenders as the past five NYFCC winners have all ended up getting Oscar nominations.

Dern, however, has a long way to go. He is not an A-list star and the NBR have a tendency to choose winners that do not end up getting Oscar nominations. Out of their past five winners, one did not get nominated for the Oscar. However, Dern has one important award that can change the race. He won the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor prize and many actors who win this award end up getting nominated. Recent Cannes winners and Oscar nominees include Javier Bardem for "Biutiful," and Jean Dujardin for "The Artist."

The race is likely to get even more competitive on Sunday, Dec. 8 as many pundits expect Chiwetel Ejiofor to win a critics circle award for "12 Years a Slave." Additionally, Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale and Michael B. Jordan could still surprise in the category.