LAS VEGAS – The PBR Team Series Championship is down to its final four teams following a wild second round of competition Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

The No. 2 Texas Rattlers, No. 3 Oklahoma Freedom, No. 5 Arizona Ridge Riders and No. 8 Nashville Stampede have all advanced to Championship Sunday in Las Vegas.

2022 PBR Team Series Championship Semifinal Matchups (4 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network)

No. 8 Nashville at No. 2 Texas No. 5 Arizona at No. 3 Oklahoma

The playoffs are the same five-on-five, head-to-head format fans saw during the regular season. Championship Sunday will feature two semifinal games before a third place and Championship Game.

Let’s take a look at the semifinal matchups.

No. 8 Nashville at No. 2 Texas

Regular Season Record: Nashville (7-20-1) | Texas (16-12) Regular Season + PBR Team Series Championship Game Competition Rides: Nashville (53) | Texas (54) Regular Season + PBR Team Series Championship Game Competition Riding Percentage: Nashville (35.33%) | Texas (36%) Regular Season + PBR Team Series Championship Average Game Score: Nashville (143.9) | Texas (155.36)

Sunday Starting Lineups: Joao Henrique Lucas (NS) vs. Express Lane Brady Oleson (TR) vs. Mr. Winston Cladson Rodolfo (NS) vs. American Gangster Rafael Jose de Brito (TR) vs. Twisted Steel Ryan Dirteater (NS) vs. Sky Harbor Braidy Randolph (TR) vs. Mule Train Silvano Alves (NS) vs. Baptism By Fire Cody Jesus (TR) vs. HomeBru Kaique Pacheco (NS) vs. Moonlight Party Daniel Keeping (TR) vs. Choc Tease

Season Series: Tied at 2-2

HOW WE GOT HERE: The Cinderella Stampede train is running full steam ahead. Nashville knocked off No. 1 Austin by going 3-for-5 and stunningly watching two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme lose his bull rope aboard Show Me Homie at 7.62 seconds to cement the Stampede upset victory. Nashville started fast with Joao Henrique Lucas riding Black Ice for 88.5 points and would never trail against Austin. Also reaching the 8 seconds were Kaique Pacheco (90.25 points on Gangster Time) and Silvano Alves (86.25 points on Game Over).

No. 2 Texas bounced back from a 425.25-178.75 loss to No. 5 Arizona to edge past the No. 1 Austin Gamblers and No. 4 Carolina Cowboys in the Last Chance Game thanks to rides from Daniel Keeping (93.5 points on Flapjack) and Braidy Randolph (85.5 points on Casper).

NASHVILLE RIDER TO WATCH: Three-time World Champion Silvano Alves has not tasted championship success in Las Vegas in nearly eight years. Alves’s last world title came in 2014 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. It was also the one time in his career he won the PBR World Finals event average. The 34-year-old is 54-for-98 in Las Vegas at all levels of competition, and another two rides on Sunday could give him a new kind of gold buckle for his trophy case.

TEXAS RIDER TO WATCH: With Joao Ricardo Vieira likely unavailable for Championship Sunday because of a concussion and potential broken jaw, there will be even more pressure on Daniel Keeping to continue to rise to the occasion. Keeping proved in the Last Chance Game that he could handle a rank bucker with Flapjack and could be the difference-maker alongside Cody Jesus for Cody Lambert’s squad.   

No. 5 Arizona vs. No. 3 Oklahoma

Regular Season Record: Arizona (14-13-1) | Oklahoma (16-12) Regular Season + PBR Team Series Championship Game Rides: Arizona (63) | Oklahoma (53) Regular Season + PBR Team Series Championship Game Competition Riding Percentage: Arizona (42%) | Oklahoma (34.19%) Regular Season + PBR Team Series Championship Average Game Score: Arizona (180.1) | Oklahoma (155.25)

Sunday Starting Lineups: J.T. Moore (ARR) vs. Tiger Chase Outlaw (OF) vs. Bubba G Eduardo Aparecido (ARR) vs. Gangster Time Trevor Kastner (OF) vs. Chiseled Vitor Losnake (ARR) vs. July Casey Roberts (OF) vs. Wicked Dreams Alisson De Souza (ARR) vs. UTZ BesTex Solutions Legend Eli Vastbinder (OF) vs. Medicine Man Luciano De Castro (ARR) vs. Big Black Derek Kolbaba (OF) vs. Born To Sin

Season Series: Arizona leads 3-1

HOW WE GOT HERE: Arizona became the second team in league history to post a perfect game, riding all five of its bulls in the team’s 425.25-178.75 victory over No. 2 Texas. Keyshawn Whitehorse clinched the win with his 90-point ride on Cold Creek before Luciano de Castro cemented the perfect game with 87 points on War Dress. Also registering scores on the way to perfection was Alisson de Souza (70.25 points on Crossover), Eduardo Aparecido (88.75 points on Black Tie), and Vitor Losnake (89.25 points on Mike’s Effect). Arizona never trailed in the game.

Oklahoma won an absolute slugfest against No. 4 Carolina, 267.25-265. The game featured three lead changes, but Eli Vastbinder’s 88-point ride on Prime Tested put the Freedom in front for good. Daylon Swearingen had a chance to answer for the Cowboys, but he wound up getting bucked off by Choc Tease in 6.28 seconds when the bovine athlete made a direction change.

ARIZONA RIDER TO WATCH: Luciano de Castro competed despite dealing with the effects of food poisoning on Saturday night. Castro believes his nausea was caused by a bad salad, but if he is actually sick with an illness, it could be something to monitor on Championship Sunday. Castro has competed in all 30 games for Arizona and is 16-for-33 in PBR Teams.

OKLAHOMA RIDER TO WATCH: Eli Vastbinder is the quiet assassin for the Freedom. It is easy to get caught up in Derek Kolbaba’s walk-off heroics and the always energetic and passionate Chase Outlaw, but Vastbinder is a perfect 3-for-3 this weekend for Oklahoma. In fact, Vastbinder is 7-for-9 inside T-Mobile Arena in his career and could be the rider leading the Freedom to championship glory.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media