Originally Posted by leilamaurizia

COUNTDOWN to the end of the calendar year: 2 weeks to go

UPDATE:
Nickelback
Nickelback is definitely no longer a threat to Carrie's year-end #3 position. With just 2 weeks to go, 227,182 albums separate Nickelback and Carrie. For Nickelback to overtake Carrie, they would have to outsell her by an average of 113,591 albums/week for 2 weeks. Last week, Carrie outsold them by 80,401 albums.

Rascal Flatts
With 2 weeks to go and 546,535 albums separating Rascal Flatts and Carrie, the prospect of Carrie grabbing that #2 spot is basically impossible. For the sake of argument, however, with the Tennessean mentioning that the Flatts boys are facing last-minute competition from Carrie, it wouldn't hurt to have a numbers breakdown. For Carrie to overtake them, she would have to outsell by an average of 273,268 albums a week for 2 weeks. Last week, she outsold them by 56,395 albums.

(Thanks to m&m for compiling the chart!)
Includes sales thru December 17:
Albums no longer in the Billboard Top 200 are at their last known sales

1 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL SOUNDTRACK 3,568,649
2 ME & MY GANG RASCAL FLATTS 3,204,431
3 SOME HEARTS CARRIE UNDERWOOD 2,657,896
4 ALL THE RIGHT REASONS NICKELBACK 2,430,714
5 BACK TO BEDLAM JAMES BLUNT 2,083,095
6 FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE 2,064,622
7 TAKING THE LONG WAY DIXIE CHICKS 1,801,962
8 THE BREAKTHROUGH MARY J BLIGE 1,764,759
9 B'DAY BEYONCE 1,730,421
10 STADIUM ARCADIUM RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS 1,616,880
11 NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC! 21 VARIOUS ARTISTS 1,609,769
12 EXTREME BEHAVIOR HINDER 1,581,167
13 HANNAH MONTANA SOUNDTRACK 1,560,403
14 NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC! 22 VARIOUS ARTISTS 1,556,888
15 KING T.I. 1,552,839
16 PCD PUSSYCAT DOLLS 1,548,638
17 GREATEST HITS VOL. 2 TIM MCGRAW 1,498,731
18 YOUR MAN JOSH TURNER 1,435,531
19 HOW TO SAVE A LIFE THE FRAY 1,408,240
20 NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC! 23 VARIOUS ARTISTS 1,393,768
21 AMORE ANDREA BOCELLI 1,380,600
22 THE LEGEND OF JOHNNY CASH JOHNNY CASH 1,368,991
23 IN MY OWN WORDS NE-YO 1,359,320
24 10,000 DAYS TOOL 1,345,215
25 A FEVER YOU CAN'T SWEAT OUT PANIC! AT THE DISCO 1,315,941
26 THE OPEN DOOR EVANESCENCE 1,240,694
27 CURTAIN CALL: THE HITS EMINEM 1,237,478
28 PRECIOUS MEMORIES ALAN JACKSON 1,211,804
29 BREAKAWAY KELLY CLARKSON 1,163,191
30 WHITE TRASH WITH MONEY TOBY KEITH 1,161,586
31 ORAL FIXATION VOL. 2 SHAKIRA 1,157,508
32 BACK TO BASICS CHRISTINA AGUILERA 1,126,278
33 DUETS: AN AMERICAN CLASSIC TONY BENNETT 1,120,536
34 ST. ELSEWHERE GNARLS BARKLEY 1,116,690
35 CURIOUS GEORGE(SOUNDTRACK) JACK JOHNSON 1,110,931
36 GIRL LIKE ME RIHANNA 1,088,572
37 UNPREDICTABLE JAMIE FOXX 1,062,954
38 CONTINUUM JOHN MAYER 1,047,259
39 FEELS LIKE TODAY RASCAL FLATTS 1,046,993
40 CHRIS BROWN CHRIS BROWN 1,045,819
41 CHEETAH GIRLS 2 SOUNDTRACK 1,034,172
42 THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE FIFTIES BARRY MANILOW 1,021,499
43 KINGDOM COME JAY-Z 1,009,888
44 BE HERE KEITH URBAN 1,008,822
45 AWAKE JOSH GROBAN 1,006,672
46 LOOSE NELLY FURTADO 1,005,956
47 MONKEY BUSINESS BLACK EYED PEAS 963,077
48 THE DUTCHESS FERGIE 945,567
49 MOVE ALONG ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS 940,838
50 IT'S TIME MICHAEL BUBLE 925,250