I used to feel that Litecoin was a strong choice, until the creator sold his Litecoins. He tried to play it off like he was proving something good, but in my eyes it just looked like he jumped ship right before the crash.
Ripple is being backed by banks, I am sure. You can either sit this one out because you don't believe in it, or you can hop aboard and make a little money even though it goes against your end goal. The banks will make this one successful.