After all these months, is it really going to come down to “the Chosen One” after all?

David Archuleta, the teenage crooner whose satiny voice and babyfaced looks have stolen the hearts of teenage girls, was all but crowned the winner of this season’s “American Idol” by judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson on Tuesday night. Playing on a boxing theme the show took on to highlight the showdown between two guys named David, Cowell called Archuleta’s performance “a knockout” of his older rival, rocker David Cook.

But was it really that cut and dry? After four months of performances by scores of wannabe pop stars, dozens of dramatic contestant ousters and hundreds of millions of votes from “Idol” viewers, will it all come down to the 17-year-old who was dubbed the one to beat way back when there were 24 contestants?

It seems, after Tuesday night’s show, that the answer is yes. While the judges praised both Cook’s and Archuleta’s three performances each, they clearly favored Archuleta. It’s almost too bad, given that going into the finale, the outcome appeared far less certain than in recent seasons. Last year, for instance, Jordin Sparks’ victory over Blake Lewis was virtually set in stone before either one of them sang a note.

Cook, however, has been a serious contender this season, delivering solid rock performances week after week that recalled Season 5 contestant and current music sensation Chris Daughtry. Also, like Archuleta, Cook never landed among the show’s bottom three vote-getters all season.

Still, the quality of Archuleta’s singing and his appeal among the show’s teenage viewers is undeniable. And, having been raised watching “Idol,” his song choices were almost always impeccable.

At least Cook seemed to take the competition in stride, proclaiming on Tuesday night that the “competition’s over, we’re just having fun.” Translation: I know I’m going to be set up with a record deal whether I win this thing or not.

So get ready. There are less than 24 hours to go before we find out whether David Archuleta really is, in fact, “the Chosen One,” or whether fate will instead side with a scrappy Missouri bartender who shares his name.