Odds apparently against Archuleta on 'Idol'

David Archuleta's fans love him, but they might not want to bet on him.

Paddy Power, an online Irish oddsmaker, says "American Idol" hopeful David Cook, not Archuleta, is the man to beat in this week's finale.

The Web site listed Cook's odds at 2-to-5. (Translated for Utahns: You must bet five matchsticks in order to win two should Cook prevail as the Idol champion.)

Archuleta's odds were listed at 7-to-4. (You win seven matchsticks for every four bet.)

Another Internet oddsmaker, Bodog Life, has also tapped Cook as the prohibitive favorite. Cook's bets were paying 1-to-7 compared to Archuleta's 9-to-4, heading into the weekend. Clearly, teenaged girls and middle-aged moms aren't part of Bodog Life's business model.

All the same, Archuleta can't — gasp — lose, can he?

"Idol" judge Randy Jackson thinks Archuleta is the bomb, dawg. In an interview last week with The Canadian Press, Jackson predicted the 17-year-old would best fellow hopeful Cook.

When Archuleta sings, young girls weep. So does Paula Abdul.

Even on the Web logs of Malaysian preteens, the legions of fans scream out for Murray's David Archuleta — "AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! his

voice melts my heart man!!"

Thousands of Utahns turned out last week to hear the baby-faced teen from Murray High School croon in his home state. The governor declared it "David Archuleta Day." They named a street after him.

When it comes time to vote this week, Archuleta might very well shame Mitt Romney's results in Utah. The former presidential hopeful gleaned a scant 90 percent of the Beehive State vote during February's primary election.

Still, that might not be enough. Ask Romney, who later joked, "There was a flaw in our campaign theory that as Utah goes, so goes the nation."

This is "American Idol." And here come those pesky numbers again.

Cook's songs have outsold Archuleta's nearly 3-to-1 on iTunes over the past month, according to the Web site www.idlesonfox.com.