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Championship Weekend Power Rankings, Presented by South Point Hotel Casino & Spa

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – Championship Weekend of the Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol, has finally arrived, and the PBR will crown a champion on Sunday afternoon inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

Whichever team wins the Monster Energy Team Challenge will certainly have earned its fair share of the $60,000 championship prize.

Following six games of regular-season play, the postseason becomes a single-elimination tournament. Division A juggernaut Team Cooper Tires (6-0) and Division B winner Team Pendleton Whisky (5-1) have earned first-round byes for Friday night, and will anxiously be waiting to see which team they face on Saturday night.

Team Cooper Tires awaits the winner of Friday night’s Team Ariat (4-1-1) vs. Team Can-Am (3-3) game (9:45 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network/RidePass).

Meanwhile, Team Pendleton Whisky is slated to face the winner of the Team Las Vegas (4-2) vs. Team Boot Barn (3-2-1) wild card game.

WILD CARD PREVIEWS
Team Ariat vs. Team Can-Am
Team Las Vegas vs. Team Boot Barn

The competition format for the playoff games is a little bit different from the regular season with three riders per team attempting two bulls per game, and a fourth rider getting on one bull. The winning team will be the team with the highest aggregate score on seven rides.

Therefore, every team’s depth will be on full display this weekend. We have seen teams, such as Cooper Tires and Pendleton Whisky, rely on all four of its riders in divisional play, but in the playoffs that is no longer a choice.

The bull power is also stepping up a notch in Sioux Falls, with World Champions SweetPro’s Bruiser and Smooth Operator bucking in the Championship Game Sunday, and that will certainly provide an additional wrinkle to the postseason.

The team that wins the Monster Energy Team Challenge title will most likely be the one that receives contributions from all of its riders.

Here is how I have the teams ranked heading into the postseason. But when it comes to single-elimination tournaments, anything is possible, and you just never know which team may walk out on top.

1. Team Cooper Tires

 
Record: 6-0
Rides: 18
Attempts: 36
Riding Percentage: 50%
Aggregate Score: 1,535.25
Average Score Per Game: 255.88
Average Ride Score: 85.29
Team Members: Jose Vitor Leme, Sage Kimzey, Stetson Lawrence and Keyshawn Whitehorse
General Manager: Cody Lambert

Team Captain Jose Vitor Leme stole the show with his 9-for-12 showing in Division A play, but Team Cooper Tires is undefeated because of an overall team effort. Six-time PRCA champion Sage Kimzey (3-for-9), Stetson Lawrence (3-for-10) and Keyshawn Whitehorse (3-for-5) all did their part as Cooper Tires never even trailed once in a game.

Cooper Tires outscored its opponents by 1,105 points and averaged three rides per game in Division A competition.

This is the most well-rounded team in the playoffs, and it will be hard to defeat.

Key to a Championship: Leme is going to power this team, no question, but he needs a running mate. Cooper Tires filled the robin role to Batman via a committee approach in Division A play, but it really needs Kimzey, Lawrence or Whitehorse to be more consistent and try to elevate their game closer to Leme. Kimzey still is not riding up to his six-time PRCA champion reputation just yet, and he went only 3-for-8 on his Cowboy Christmas run. Kimzey is 6-for-17 on the PRCA trail and METC since being out three months because of left ankle surgery. Team Cooper Tires will benefit tremendously if Kimzey, or Lawrence or Whitehorse, get hot inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

2. Team Pendleton Whisky

 
Record: 5-1
Rides: 15
Attempts: 36
Riding Percentage: 41.67%
Aggregate Score: 1,259.75
Average Score Per Game: 209.96
Average Ride Score: 83.98
Team Members: Marco Eguchi, Lucas Divino, Boudreaux Campbell and Amadeu Campos
General Manager: Justin McBride

There was no team more in need of the week off before the playoffs than Team Pendleton Whisky. Captain Marco Eguchi has been competing with a partially torn left groin, world No. 8 Lucas Divino could barely move his arms following Team Pendleton Whisky’s final game in Las Vegas and Amadeu Campos added a right hamstring strain to go along with a very unstable left shoulder and right MCL sprain.

Despite the laundry list of injuries that no team wants to have, Pendleton Whisky still went an impressive 5-1 to win Division B. Eguchi led the way as Pendleton Whisky relied on heart, grit and determination to not use the injuries as an excuse for failure at the Monster Energy Team Challenge.

Team Pendleton Whisky posted the second-most qualified rides (15) in Las Vegas and was only three away from Division A champion Team Cooper Tires.

The addition of Boudreaux Campbell has given this team a spark, and was a smart move by General Manager Justin McBride, and the week off should help this team become that much more of a threat to win the Monster Energy Team Challenge.

Key to a Championship: Eguchi’s health may become an issue as groin injuries can take months to heal. Therefore, the onus will be on Divino to step up in the postseason more so than he did in Division B. If Divino can ride like a Top-5 caliber rider, and Eguchi stays somewhat healthy, Pendleton Whisky could have a three-headed monster with Campbell, who has ridden two straight bulls for 86 points on the PRCA trail.

3. Team Ariat

 
Record: 4-1-1
Division Finish: 2
Rides: 11
Attempts: 36
Riding Percentage: 30.6%
Aggregate Score: 947
Average Score Per Game: 157.83
Average Ride Score: 86.09
Team Ariat Riders: Cooper Davis, Ky Hamilton, Tyler Bingham and Maverick Potter
General Manager: J.W. Hart

Cooper Davis and Ky Hamilton have led Team Ariat as the dynamic duo has accumulated 10 of the team’s 11 rides. Davis was 5-for-12 as he still begins to work himself into riding shape following a close to five-month layoff because of a broken neck, but expect him to be better in Sioux Falls with the stakes now greater.

The question for Team Ariat will be if Tyler Bingham or Maverick Potter can elevate their game alongside Davis and Hamilton.

Key to a Championship: It may be hard for Davis and Hamilton to carry this team alone like they did in Division B. The competition is going to be stiffer in Sioux Falls so they will need Bingham and Potter to join them on the scoreboard to have any chance at advancing out of the first round.

4. Team Las Vegas

 
Record: 4-2
Division Finish: 2
Rides: 9
Attempts: 36
Riding Percentage: 25%
Aggregate Score: 776.75
Average Score Per Game: 129.46
Average Ride Score: 86.31
Team Las Vegas Riders: Stetson Wright, Chase Dougherty, Garrett Smith and Brady Portenier
General Manager: Ty Murray

There is no question that Team Las Vegas is a lucky 4-2, but everything resets in the postseason.

Stetson Wright, Chase Dougherty and Garrett Smith each had three qualified rides in Division A competition, but they, as well as Brady Portenier, have found success recently during the Cowboy Christmas rodeo run.

Momentum is always big in bull riding, and rust should not be a factor for them. The increase in bull power will be a good test for Las Vegas, but Wright and Dougherty are proven winners, and they have a chip-on-their-shoulder approach to competition and will certainly be looking to make a statement in Sioux Falls

Key to a Championship: The depth of Team Las Vegas could end up being its biggest strength in the postseason, but who will be the team’s Batman? Team Las Vegas was not challenged by its opponents in the regular season, but it will need a rider, if not multiple, to ride more than bull per game to have any chance at advancing. This is where Wright or Dougherty can make their first big stamp in their PBR careers

5. Team Boot Barn

 
Record: 3-2-1
Division Finish: 3
Rides: 9
Attempts: 36
Riding Percentage: 25%
Aggregate Score: 748.25
Average Score Per Game: 124.71
Average Ride Score: 83.14
Team Boot Barn Riders: Daylon Swearingen, Andrew Alvidrez, Braden Richardson and J.C. Mortensen
General Manager: J.B. Mauney

Boot Barn could very well beat Team Las Vegas and be a threat against Team Pendleton Whisky.

The addition of Andrew Alvidrez has turned this team around (2-0-1), and gives Boot Barn a solid 1-2 punch with Team Captain Daylon Swearingen.

Alvidrez (3-for-5) was a sparkplug for Team Boot Barn like Campbell was for Pendleton Whisky, and helped the team sneak into the playoffs.

Team Boot Barn is stronger now than when it started the METC on June 19, but it will need more from Braden Richardson (1-for-9) and J.C. Mortensen (1-for-7) in the postseason.

The good thing for Boot Barn is that Swearingen was lighting things up on the rodeo trail recently, picking up two victories and a second-place finish during the Cowboy Christmas run. Swearingen went 3-for-6, riding Scruffy for 87 points to win the Oakley Independence Day Rodeo and Reality Check for 84.5 points in Prescott, Arizona, to earn a share of the bull riding victory.

Key to a Championship: Alvidrez’s left groin injury does not hamper him, and Swearingen carries his rodeo hot streak into Sioux Falls. If they are close to perfect, that could be enough for Boot Barn to advance. Richardson or Mortensen also will need to be difference-makers.

6. Team Can-Am

 
Record: 3-3
Division Finish: 3
Rides: 11
Attempts: 36
Riding Percentage: 30.6%
Aggregate Score: 956.75
Average Score Per Game: 159.46
Average Ride Score: 86.98
Team Can-Am Riders: Ezekiel Mitchell, Mauricio Moreira, Rafael Henrique dos Santos and Lane Lasley
General Manager: Chase Outlaw

Don’t count Team Can-Am out just yet even if it lost Fabiano Vieira. Vieira was 2-for-10 in Division A competition as the team relied on rising star Mauricio Moreira (5-for-12) to advance to the playoffs. Still, Vieira is a great mentor to Moreira and Rafael Henrique dos Santos, and the two newcomers to the United States will not have Vieira with them in Sioux Falls.

Ezekiel Mitchell is not going to throw the towel in on his team’s chances, though, and you can rest assured he is going to give his team everything he has to help it defeat Team Ariat in a tough wild card game.

Ariat is not invincible, but Can-Am will need to receive a lift from Santos and newcomer Lane Lasley to have a shot at defeating a Cooper Davis-led team.

Key to a Championship: Can Moreira continue to carry this team? If so, can Mitchell and Santos also answer the call? There is certainly the case to be made for all three riders getting on a roll in Sioux Falls and helping Can-Am to a championship.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

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