Many predict a showdown between Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Richard Linklater for Best Director. (@MMhSocial / Twitter)

One of the night's most anticipated moments is finding out who will be lucky enough to to take home the prestigious Oscar for Best Director.

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This year's nominees are:

• Alejandro G. Iñárritu, "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
• Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
• Bennett Miller, "Foxcatcher"
• Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
• Morten Tyldum, "The Imitation Game"

Despite how amazing all five of these movies are in their own right, many film critics and industry experts believe the category will ultimately come down to a face-off between Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Richard Linklater.

The Concourse's Tim Grierson writes, "If you think of this category as Best Orchestrator of a Difficult-to-Pull-Off Concept, both men have a good case: 'Boyhood' is 'that movie that took 12 years to make,' and 'Birdman' is 'that movie that looks like it's all one shot.'" These films are also expected to be the two major contenders for Best Picture.

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Unlike the rest of the major categories, which - as the New York Times' David Leonhardt notes - "all point to a very strong favorite - between 83 percent and 99 percent [via PredictWise]," Best Picture and Director provide more room for upset.

With a 63 percent chance of winning, PredictWise puts Iñárritu and "Birdman" at a significant advantage over Linklater and "Boyhood" (37 percent) for Best Director, but the subtlety and modesty of the latter's coming-of-age story has good enough odds to pull a win from under Iñárritu's flashy drama.

Even though Iñárritu's innovative thinking provided for one of the visually impressive films of the year, Linklater's patient dedication in making a film over a 12-year period with the same cast and a unique screenwriting process that allowed castmembers to incorporate their own life experiences into the story surely impressed the creative minds of the Academy.

Add in the movie's obvious role as a "love letter" to Linklater's home state of Texas, and that might just be enough to tug at the Academy's heartstrings and convince them to hand over a few Oscars, including that of Best Director, to "Boyhood" on Sunday night.

Reach Associate Entertainment Editor Michelle Tiu here and follow her on Twitter.