Who will win this year's 'Madden' cover? Odds on each semifinalist

The contest to be hopelessly cursed by being on the cover of "Madden" is down to four unlucky souls.

The "Madden" cover curse didn't seem to affect last year's winner, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. He had a fine season and the Seahawks went back to the Super Bowl. But we can't ignore more than a decade of torturous tradition, from Daunte Culpepper to Peyton Hillis, when it comes to the "Madden" curse. The video game's cover boy has generally had something really bad happen after he appears on the cover.

With that in mind, here are the four semifinalists for the "Madden NFL 16" cover with our entirely made-up and meaningless odds with them:

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (10-to-1)

I like Peterson, he's a popular and good player, but he doesn't have the star power of the others. And the Cardinals' fan base won't overpower the voting like ...

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown (6-to-1)

Another great player, and he gets extra push because more than a few people voting have won a fantasy football title thanks to Brown. And you've seen how the Steelers fans travel. They're everywhere. The only issue is they might vote for anyone else to get Brown out of harm's way with the cover curse.

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (2-to-1)

Now we're cooking. Gronk has the world in his hands, with crazy suits and dance parties and whatnot. What better way to cap off the Offseason of Gronk by giving him the "Madden" cover? The press events after he wins would certainly be entertaining. He and Brown can fistfight to get in the finals.

But our money is on another big favorite ...

New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (even odds)

Here it is. Beckham really seems to be the NFL's new mega-star, with his one-handed catches and ridiculous athleticism. Being in the New York media market doesn't hurt. He's still fresh and new and exciting, and who is better for a video game cover than the guy who makes catches you can only conceive of in a video game?

Happy voting. And, if you believe in the curse, hopefully your favorite player gets crushed.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab