Arguments for:
-What a year. He was everywhere this year.
-He goes to Disneyland, the aquarium, he breaks up fights.
-That time he took his shirt off in Crazy, Stupid, Love
-Major talent, super respected among his peers, handpicked by George Clooney, a big, BIG future

Arguments against:
-None of his movies are ever major SMASH hits.  Let me put it this way: Ryan Gosling is the most requested celebrity for inclusion in Shout-Outs on my site, by far. But for all the people who want him in their shout-outs, did you go see Drive? Or Blue Valentine? See I’m not sure you did. And the numbers of both those movies don’t match up at all to the online activity around his photos. Why don’t you support him the way he wants to be supported?
-The SMA has always, traditionally, been able to appeal to both sides of the gender equation.  I don’t know that dudes totally buy him yet.
-Some people, like me, aren’t quite so enamoured of the lame sh-ts Disneyland, flexing muscles, aquarium sh-t.
-He’s “That Guy From The Notebook”. Still. The Sexiest Man Alive has to be called by his real name only, you know? Like when Brad Pitt won it in 1995 for the first time, people didn’t go around referring to him as “The Guy From Thelma & Louise” anymore
-He’s Canadian. And last year, it was a Canadian. Would PEOPLE actually go with back-to-back Canadians?

Odds: 10 to 1