Carrie Underwood is still a couple of days away from co-hosting the CMA Awards with Brad Paisley, but she hopes her cache as a hot country act and her educational background as a broadcast journalism major at Oklahoma's Northeastern State University might give her the edge if the CMA wants to keep them co-hosting on a more permanent basis.

And while she's happy to take it one year at a time, Carrie admits her feelings would have been hurt if the Country Music Association hadn't asked them to return as hosts this year. "I rationalize things in my head," the superstar tells USA Today, "things like, 'Well, they won't want to start over with somebody else. We've already done it. They'd just have to start over! Sure, they're going to ask us! They're going to ask us. We did a good job.' So I had myself convinced already that we were going to co-host."

No word on whether she uses the same tactic when it comes to winning awards, but Carrie's nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year -- and she's taken that honor the past three years running.