The 2012 Summer Olympics in London are only a few months away, but USA Today already feels like it has a pretty good hold on what’s to come. We’re in that kind of age where events in the distant future are topics of predictions more and more. Good for betting though. Good conversation.

The USA Today has this medal tracker thing, just recently published in March, which sets to predict which country will win the most medals overall.

The United States is usually atop that list so it’s no surprise the publication is giving its home soil props. The U.S. is predicted to have a total of 87 medals overall, 36 gold, 19 silver and 32 bronze.

For bettors, these kinds of publications serve only to reinforce what we already believe. Bovada’s Olympic Futures has the U.S. out front to win the most golds. Well, in a round about way, anyway. The over/under listed is the highest among all other countries at 38 1/2. Bovada pays out -110 if its over and -120 if its less.

That’s just better than China, who’s total is predicted around 36 1/2. Russia isn’t far behind at 25 1/2, followed by the Brits at 21 1/2.

That’s been a fairly popular number for the UK in most circles, because of the wealth of analysis and predictors. I’m not going to get into it, but some professors using historical data find that host countries often peak in medal count during the games they host. Four years ago, the UK won 19 medals, and most formulas expect two more.

Ok, enough of that.

America is a huge favorite to win in basketball, but got really bad news last week when center Dwight Howard announced he needed season-ending back surgery to repair a damaged hernia. Howard will miss the entire NBA playoffs, and is all but certain to miss the Olympics.

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo is looking for a replacement at the moment, and might have to find on for big man LaMarcus Aldridge, too. It’s been widely speculated New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler will get one of the open spots.

“We’ve talked about injuries,” said Colangelo, via UK American Sports Fans. “Obviously, if our ranks are really thinned we wouldn’t rule out adding some additional people. But it’s too early to say that we will do that. If there is a candidate out there, we’ll have private discussions.”

With the uncertainty down low, the U.S. is still favored to win the sport’s gold, but won’t be a lock with Spain and Argentina breathing down its neck.

And with the USA Today already projecting only 36 golds this year, the country could use all the help it can get to reach Bovada’s mark of 38 1/2.