Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Cover 2012: Will Kate Upton Grace The Front? (PHOTOS)

Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue is --thank God-- set to drop on February 14th, but that hasn't stopped the Internet from buzzing with speculation on who will nab the coveted cover spot.

Outlets like Fox News and the Las Vegas Sun are currently speculating that 19-year-old newcomer Kate Upton will land the honors; the blonde beauty from Michigan made her debut in last year's issue alongside cover girl Irina Shayk.

The fever pitch for bikini'ed beauties has even spread to the cold Northeast; the New York Daily News just launched a massive slideshow of all the contenders.

And obviously we're all concerned with which hot models will grace the pages, but the 2012 issue is already making waves for forsaking exotic locales like St. Barts in order to shoot one of its sexy bikini spreads in the quaint town of Apalachicola, Fla.

This year's cover will be unveiled on Feb. 13 on the David Letterman show, and will be available on newsstands the next day. We have a hunch Kate just might be the cover girl!

In the meantime, whet your swimsuit whistle with Kate's SI pic from last year, as well as our slideshow of ALL the SI Swimsuit Issue covers below (going back to 1955!).

Scroll down for more photos.

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• 1955: Betty di Bugnano

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1964: Jule Campbell

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1965: Sue Peterson

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1966: Sunny Bippus

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1967: Lynn Tindall

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1968: Turia Mau

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1969: Jamee Becker

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1970: Cheryl Tiegs

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1971: Tannia Rubiano

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1972: Sheila Roscoe

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1973: Dayle Haddon

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1974: Ann Simonton

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1975: Cheryl Tiegs

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1976: Yvette and Yvonne Sylvander

  (Sports Illustrated

• 1977: Lena Hansbod

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1978: Maria Joao

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1979: Christie Brinkley

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1980: Christie Brinkley

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1981: Christie Brinkley

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1982: Carol Alt

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1983: Cheryl Tiegs

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1984: Paulina Porizkova

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1985: Paulina Porizkova

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1986: Elle Macpherson

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1987: Elle Macpherson

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1988: Elle Macpherson

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1989: Kathy Ireland

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1990: Judit Masco

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1991: Ashley Montana

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1992: Kathy Ireland

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1993: Vendela Kirsebom

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1994: Kathy Ireland, Elle Macpherson et Rachel Hunter

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1995: Daniela Pestova

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1996: Valeria Mazza et Tyra Banks

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1997: Tyra Banks

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1998: Heidi Klum

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 1999: Rebecca Romijn

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2000: Daniela Pestova

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2001: Elsa Benitez

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2002: Yamila Diaz-Rahi

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2003: Petra Nemcova

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2004: Veronica Varekova

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2005: Carolyn Murphy

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2006: Beach Party!

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2007: Beyoncé

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2008: Marisa Miller

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2009: Bar Refaeli

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2010: Brooklyn Decker

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2011: Irina Shayk

  (Sports Illustrated)

• 2012: Kate Upton

• 2013: Kate Upton (bis)

Comments

[Dede Eagleburger]

05:01 PM on 02/16/2012

And they got it right!!!! Yay for Kate!!

[momsdiversion]

12:47 PM on 02/13/2012

These girls are very pretty but supermodels are a thing of the past. I loved Cindy Crawford, Rachael Hunter, Kathy Ireland, etc.... They had beautiful curves and looked like women.

[mmvernes]

11:26 AM on 02/13/2012

Take away her fake boobs & she'd be nothing great......................

[Dede Eagleburger]

05:02 PM on 02/16/2012

they're real!!! so there...

[jordanscc]

10:48 AM on 02/13/2012

Notice that right after the 90's the bathing suits got skimpier and the poses got racier.. God blessed these girls with beautiful bodies and not everyone looks like them. I say.. "If you've got it..Flaunt it"

[Henssis1]

09:14 AM on 02/13/2012

Her breast are implants...

[filmgrad52]

11:30 AM on 02/13/2012

Negative Ghostrider. See exhibit a) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxEujZdBORs&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL379CBB09F64BA3D1
bouncy, bouncy.

[karenkbone]

06:38 AM on 02/13/2012

i'm naughty ~ sexy ~ and my breast are real ~ i bet i could give those girls a run for there money

[Mom4Matt]

04:42 PM on 02/12/2012

The 1960s Ladies with real breasts are SO much prettier than the plastic ones of todays covers!!

[PapaBee]

06:34 PM on 02/12/2012

Hey Mom, You don't speak for all of us......particularly us guys. BTW Ms Upton's breasts are as real as can be.

[daewillow]

03:52 PM on 02/12/2012

i have to agree with gabs125689. these women were natural and beautiful but it seems once it got into the late 90s into 2000s everyone became too thin. women arent meant to be toothpicks and its unrealistic to portray women like that with an airbrush artist fixing all the problem areas that arent even problems in the first place. curve curve n curves are beautiful and a little pudge is allright, and natural boobs are soooo much softer than some fake crap. kudos to the women for the hard work but i really have to dog the mag. 86 the airbrush artist and lets see the real thing like in the 70s and 80s!!

[teltech543]

03:33 PM on 02/12/2012

Nothing but the best.

[gabs125689]

03:47 AM on 02/12/2012

Went from tasteful to over-the-top raunchy.

[emlyeat23]

07:34 PM on 02/10/2012

Hottest is Marissa Miller

[tws9652]

04:15 AM on 02/11/2012

Sorry to disagree, my friend, but Christie Brinkley is so hot my monitor burst into flames!

[kalicoangel]

02:56 PM on 02/12/2012

Yeah but she turned into a real klutz on the runway..

[JonL3itman]

04:00 PM on 02/12/2012

I'd have to say Bar Refaeli

[BlackJAC]

06:00 PM on 02/10/2012

C'mon, show Hilary Rhoda some love and give her the cover.

[fkoesterphoto]

01:24 PM on 02/13/2012

I think I just threw up in my mouth

[BlackJAC]

04:49 PM on 02/13/2012

Got something against blue-eyed brunettes?

[Victoria Angel]

08:21 AM on 02/10/2012

SI models aren't what they used to be. Well models in general aren't. This looks like some Hooters chick not Paulina/Elle status AT ALL.

[Donald Kinge]

02:36 PM on 02/10/2012

yeah, the razor thin model thing should definitely come back!...sigh.

It's interesting though to see societal definitions and conceptions of beauty change though. I think the gallery of covers throughout the decades does a good job of depicting how we, as a society, have changed.

[BlackJAC]

06:04 PM on 02/10/2012

Why oh why can't we have women who have bodies like the 18-year-old boys male fashion designers are stereotyped as preferring?  :)

[BlackJAC]

06:02 PM on 02/10/2012

Because she's a D-cup?  Kitty likes to scratch.

[IglooUsher]

07:00 AM on 02/13/2012

FAKE D-CUP!