Missy Franklin: Day-by-Day Schedule and Predictions for London Olympics

Missy Franklin is one of the hottest young American athletes heading into the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. She's even being favorably compared to Michael Phelps on the women's side for Team USA.

Franklin will attempt to medal in seven events in London. If she does, she'll be one of the all-time greats in Summer Olympic history.

With that in mind, I've put together a comprehensive schedule of her events for you to bookmark so you don't miss her historic push, along with my predictions on how she'll fare. 

Note: All event times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Saturday, July 28

4x100-Meter Freestyle Relay (Heats and Final—7:16 a.m. and 3:50 p.m.)

Missy Franklin and the Americans shouldn't have any issues getting through the preliminary heats, and they'll surely be among the top teams in the final.

They have come away with silver medals the last two times in the Summer Games, but it's going to be tough for them to do better this year. Germany, Sweden and Italy all feature tough teams that will be challenging to overcome.

That said, Franklin and the Americans shouldn't finish any worse than third place.

Prediction: Franklin leads Team USA to another silver medal in this event.

Sunday, July 29

100-Meter Backstroke (Heats and Semifinals—5:00 a.m. and 3:44 p.m.)

If Missy Franklin doesn't advance through to the finals, it will be a sure sign that the apocalypse is near. She is the fastest woman in the world at this event, according to FINA.org, and she'll sail through to the final.

Monday, July 30

200-Meter Freestyle (Heats and Semifinal—5:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.)

Missy Franklin is dominant in the backstroke, but she barely cracks the top 10 in the world rankings this year for the 200-meter free, according to FINA.com.

Even so, Franklin should be able to advance through to the finals in this event.

100-Meter Backstroke (Final—2:49 p.m.)

It's a good thing Franklin is just 17 years old, as she will have about 15 minutes to prepare herself for this pivotal final after her 200-meter semifinal run. 

It shouldn't hinder her one little bit, though, as Franklin is far and away the best female swimmer in this race worldwide. She posted a time of 58.85 seconds in Omaha, and most of the world's top swimmers are coming in over 59 seconds.

Prediction: Franklin wins the gold.

Tuesday, July 31

200-Meter Freestyle (Final—2:39 p.m.)

Missy Franklin earned her spot in this event by posting the second-fastest time in Omaha, finishing the race in 1 minute, 56.79 seconds. 

Unfortunately for her, there have been eight different women to post better marks in this event this year, including her own teammate, Allison Schmitt, who posted an American record time of 1:54.40 in the same event.

Franklin will be hard-pressed to earn a medal in this event.

Prediction: Franklin finishes outside the top five.

Wednesday, August 1

100-Meter Freestyle (Heats and Semifinal—5:00 a.m. and 2:38 p.m.)

Missy Franklin may not even qualify for the final in this event. Her best time this year, according to FINA.org, is 54.15 seconds—almost a second-and-a-half slower than the best time in 2012, posted by Ranomi Kromowidjojo.

That said, I see Franklin doing just enough to make it to the final.

4x200 Freestyle Relay (Heats and Final—6:39 a.m. and 3:57 p.m.)

Franklin and the Americans won't have any issues getting through the heats and into the final.

They beat the Australians by more than a full second at the World Championships in 2011, and they are set to dominate this event once more in 2012.

Prediction: Franklin and the Americans bring home the gold.

Thursday, August 2

200-Meter Backstroke (Heats and Semifinals—5:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.)

Missy Franklin is the fastest woman in the world this year in the 200-meter backstroke. She'll have no issues making her way into the final.

100-Meter Freestyle (Final—3:34 p.m.)

Having barely made it into the final, Franklin won't come close to medaling in this event. 

To put things into perspective, her time of 54.15 in Omaha would have earned her a sixth-place finish in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. Her teammates, Jessica Hardy and Allison Schmitt, have a better chance to medal. Franklin will be on the outside looking in.

Prediction: Franklin finishes outside the top five.

Friday, August 3

4x100 Medley Relay (Heats—6:50 a.m.)

The Americans dominated the rest of the world in this event at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, and there isn't any reason to think they won't coast through the preliminary heats to the final.

200-Meter Backstroke (Final—2:30 p.m.)

Missy Franklin is simply the best women's backstroke competitor in the world. As it was with the 100-meter race, she's posted the best time in the world in the 200-meter backstroke, according to FINA.org.

Her time of 2 minutes, 6.12 seconds at the USA trials in Omaha is almost a full half-second faster than the next-best contestant in 2012, Anastasia Zueva of Russia, who posted a time of 2:06.59.

Prediction: Franklin will win gold.

Saturday, August 4

4x100-Meter Medley Relay (Final—3:07 p.m.)

Missy Franklin anchored her team's gold-medal efforts in the 2011 Shanghai World Championships, and USA defeated the rest of the world by more than three seconds—an eternity in swimming.

This team is strong all the way across the board, and Franklin's dominance in the backstroke gives them a tremendous edge. 

Prediction: Franklin and Team USA win gold.

Final Tally

According to my predictions, Missy Franklin will finish the 2012 Summer Games with four gold medals and one silver medal. 

Not bad for a 17-year-old young high schooler, right?

Franklin's accomplishments in London this summer won't likely be her last, either. She has a bright future ahead of her in the sport of swimming, and I'm sure we'll see her add to her totals in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all your 2012 Summer Olympics news, opinion and analysis, and thank you for reading. 

Follow @JesseReed78