PUEBLO, Colo. – The 2022 PBR Team Series gets underway with the inaugural season-opener on July 25-26 at Cheyenne Frontier Days.

As the eight founding teams continue to work towards the start of the season, here is breakdown of how the competition will take place during the 11-event PBR Team Series, which culminates on Nov. 4-6 with the PBR Teams Series Championship.

Each of the eight teams will host three-day homestands during the season, while there will also be two neutral site, two-day events in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Anaheim, California.

REGULAR SEASON COMPETITION FORMAT

The competition format, which has been piloted through recent Global Cup, Team Challenge and Cowboys for a Cause events, is designed to capture the attention of core PBR fans and broaden interest among sports fans.

During the regular season, each event day will feature all teams competing in games. The game format will be 5-vs.-5, head-to-head, match-ups between two teams. There will be four games (i.e., eight teams) per event day. In advance of each event, teams will designate at least five riders, and up to seven riders, to travel to the event. Prior to each game, coaches will determine the starting line-up among their riders. With pens of five bulls randomly drawn to each team prior to each game, a coach’s starting line-up selection will be a compelling competition element as he chooses which rider to match up against which bull.

Most events will be three days with the possibility of two-day events in select markets. Each day of an event, a given team will compete in one game against a different team (i.e., 2 games at a two-day event and 3 games at a three-day event).  The team’s record at the end of the two or three-day event (e.g. 3-0, 2-1, etc.) will determine the event winner.  Any ties in event standings (of which there will be several) will be broken by a Bonus Round as defined below. 

To break all ties in the event standings, a Bonus Round will be staged after the final game at each event and will feature one rider per team competing as designated by the head coach.  Each rider selected to compete in the Bonus Round will attempt one bull and all riders competing will be ranked from 1^st to 8^th based first on ride score and then on buck-off time.  Eight points will be awarded to 1^st place and one point will be awarded to 8^th place.  Ties will split the points available between any tied positions.

PBR TEAM SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT

All eight teams qualify for the PBR Team Series Championship in Las Vegas. The top two teams in the regular-season standings (win-loss record) earn first round byes. 

The playoffs are the same five-on-five, head-to-head format fans will see during the regular season. Two teams will be eliminated from the playoffs each day. The first two rounds of competition will feature a “Last Chance” playoff game for teams who lost their first game earlier in the night.

Here is how the playoff seeding and matchups will look like in Las Vegas.

First Round (Nov. 4)

No. 3 seed vs. No. 8 seed (Winner is No. 3 seed in second round)
No. 4 seed vs. No. 7 seed (Winner is No. 4 seed in second round)
No. 5 seed vs. No. 6 seed (Winner is No. 5 seed in second round)
Last Chance: 3-way losers game (Three teams who lost in the above games compete; best team score on five rides advances to second round as the No. 6 seed)

Second Round (Nov. 5)

No. 1 seed vs. No. 6 seed (Winner is No. 1 seed in semifinals)
No. 2 seed vs. No. 5 seed (Winner is No. 2 seed in semifinals)
No. 3 seed vs. No. 4 seed (Winner is No. 3 seed in semifinals)
Last Chance: 3-way losers game (Three teams who lost in the above games compete; best team score on five rides advances to semifinals as the No. 4 seed)

Semifinals / Championship Game (Nov. 6)

No. 1 seed vs. No. 4 seed (Winner advances to championship game)
No. 2 seed vs. No. 3 seed (Winner advances to championship game)
Consolation Game: Loser of Game 1 above vs. Loser of Game 2 above
Championship Game: (Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2).

Prize Money

There is a $1,225,000 prize purse for the PBR Team Series Championship.

First Place: $750,000
Second Place: $300,000
Third Place: $125,000
Fourth Place: $50,000
*Riders on the winning teams split the earnings.

The regular season has a a total prize purse of $1.2 million.