Gettin Rough: NFR Bubble Watch in the Rough Stock Events

In the bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding, the Playoff Standings will be crucial for the cowboys who find themselves just inside, or outside, the top 15 in the World Standings to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo

For professional rodeo athletes, the month of September means one thing: crunch time. They now have 26 days until the cutoff to make the 2024 National Finals Rodeo.

Bareback Riding

In the bareback riding, only $4,000 separates the cowboys in positions 8-12 and places 14-17 have a $6,000 spread. We also cannot count out the contenders outside of the top 20, as many are still positioned to be a threat with the payouts coming up in September.

To understand why the Cinch Playoffs and $1.3 million Governor's Cup are so critical, we will use Jess Pope as an example. Currently ranked #16 in the World Standings, but 5th in the Playoff Series, $969.87 separates him from the #15 position in the World. This amount is quite minimal when we consider the payouts that will be available at the Playoffs and The Governor's Cup.

To qualify for The Governor's Cup, a cowboy either needs to be in the top four at Puyallup in the Cinch Playoffs or the top eight in the Playoff Standings. Following Puyallup, three rodeos that can impact those standings will remain: Abilene, Texas; Pendleton, Oregon; and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A shot at huge Playoffs payouts could also be critical for Waylon Bourgeois (currently #17 in the World Standings), Bradlee Miller (19), Sam Petersen (20), Tilden Hooper (21), Kade Sonnier (22), Lane McGehee (23), Mason Clements (25), and Jacek Frost (26). While Frost is roughly $38,000 from the current #15, Bourgeois is only $5,000.

Saddle Bronc Riding

Taking a look at the saddle bronc riding, Ryder Sanford (currently #16 in the World Standings) sits in a very important 7th in the Playoffs Standings. Logan Cook is #17 in the World Standings and #10 in the Playoff Standings. Puyallup and potentially The Governor's Cup will be critical for the cowboys just outside of the top 15.

Logan Hay sits #15 in the World and #17 in the Playoff Standings, so capitalizing on the opportunity to hold onto his spot in the World will be key. Brody Wells sits #14 in both standings and will be in a similar situation as Hay, defending his position. Positions 10-14 are seperated by less than $10,000 and roughly $5,000 stands between #15 and #16. Every dollar will matter as these races come to a close.

Layton Green (#19 in the World Standings), Tanner Butner (#23), Isaac Diaz (#25), Parker Fleet (#29), Jake Finlay (#30), and Weston Patterson (#36) will round out the field in Puyallup.

Bull Riding

In the bull riding, several cowboys within the top 24 of the Playoff Standings are well outside of the top 15 in the World Standings, but will have a chance to change that in Puyallup.

Trevor Reiste sits #14 in both World and Playoff standings, only $2,400 ahead of #15. Brody Yeary and Jeff Askey sit 19th and 20th in the World, seperated by $600. They also sit 18th and 19th in the Playoffs Series. Luke Mast sits 22nd in the Playoffs, but 16th in the World by just under $4,000. Jordan Spears also squeaked into Puyallup by 10 points and sits 17th in the World, less than $12,000 from the #15 position.

Fulton Rutland, Taylor Toves, Rawley Johnson, Brady Portenier, Lukasey Morris, Jeff Bertus, Scott Wells, and Jestyn Woodward are all outside the top 20 in the World Standings, but qualified in the Playoffs Standings to compete in Puyallup.

Stay tuned for the next part in this series, where we will look into who is on the bubble in the steer wrestling, team roping, and tie-down roping.