With the next round of nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame presumably right around the corner, now seems like a pretty good time for some good old-fashioned conjecture.

We've already taken an in-depth look at some of the artists technically eligible for induction, but the folks at Future Rock Legends have winnowed the field by picking those that presumably stand a better chance of ending up on the ballot — a list that includes Sting as a solo artist as well as long-eligible candidates like the J. Geils Band, Harry Nilsson and Procol Harum. Take a look at the complete list below, including a number of artists who fall outside the classic rock umbrella.

Nine Inch Nails
N.W.A
Pixies
Nina Simone
Procol Harum
J. Geils Band
Sonic Youth
Rufus with Chaka Khan
LL Cool J
The Smiths
Dick Dale
Sting
Phish
Harry Nilsson
Chic

As Vintage Vinyl News notes, the acts on this list are all worthy predictions for various reasons (all outlined at the Future Rock Legends post), but it leaves out a number of other artists who've been eligible for some time, and who could end up surfacing as surprise picks — including Bon Jovi, Deep Purple, Joe Cocker, War, the Zombies, Chicago, Judas Priest, the Electric Light Orchestra and the Doobie Brothers.

Whoever the Rock Hall voters have in mind for their next class of inductees, we shouldn't have to wait long to see the ballot; according to recent tradition, the nominees should be announced in early October, which still leaves us a couple of weeks to name our personal picks. Weigh in with yours in the comments below.

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