Sorry for the delay in getting our unique Contenders section off the ground here at the new HitFix digs. The hard-working team here has a number of other projects that obviously aren’t In Contention-related, so you can empathize with the heavy workload.

But the wait is over! We’ve got the new section up and running. You’ll note a link above, under the blog logo, as well as in the sidebar with our predictions, as usual. We still have things tiered. “Good Bets” is a section reserved for contenders in each category that seem good to go for a nomination. “Other Possibilities” are just that, contenders in the thick of the hunt. “Dark Horses” are outside chances that deserve to be plucked from “The Rest of the Field,” which lays out most of the other hopefuls aiming for room in the race.

Where things are different is in my decision to rank the bottom tier along with the top three sections. Call it a tip of the hat to the old days of Zuesefer (those who have been following the Oscar race online for a decade will remember). I’ve spread the fields out to a list of 30 contenders in each category and ranked them all the way down.

It should go without saying not to take things too seriously when it comes to the ranking of those lower portions. But it’ll be worth keeping an eye on things as they move across the chart. Those changes, up or down, will be noted each week (starting with the next wave of updates), which is a feature we abandoned once upon a time.

We haven’t yet filled out the original song, foreign film and documentary feature sections, but we will in due time. For now, though, I’m happy to finally have this off the ground, so check out our new rankings at The Contenders and keep an eye out each Monday for the shifting and sliding of the field.

Oh, one more thing. I’m sure many of you will be happy to see the full line-up of categories back in the right sidebar. This was part of the transition, too, as it was dependent on things we were building into the contenders feature. There is a shortcut to each category’s contender page by clicking on the accompanying image in the sidebar.

So there we have it! Enjoy the latest updates. More as the season progresses.