PUEBLO, Colo. – By now, we have a pretty good idea of what the Top 15 will look like heading into Cowtown Coliseum as the competitive premier series pack has entertained us to the nines for the past five months.

Riders have battled through 22 of the circuit’s 23 regular season events, regularly bringing crowds around North America to their feet as they bested some of the industry’s most talented animal athletes en route to bettering their odds of being named the 2024 PBR World Champion.

And with the 2024 Unleash The Beast finale now primed to welcome the world’s best bull riders to KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, April 26-27, there’s officially just one stop separating cowboys from embracing the lore, honors and excitement associated with the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.

With the postseason gauntlet donning a fresh format this time around, riders who have secured a berth to the endgame showdown are now attempting to position themselves to be within the Top 15 by the time the fourth round of the PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations (May 9-12 inside Cowtown Coliseum) comes to an end (as the Top 15 at that moment will automatically qualify for the third and final stage of the playoff gauntlet, with the other 30 riders forced to earn their spot inside AT&T Stadium by excelling during the tour’s second stage, Ride For Redemption!)

Which could be viewed as a privilege for several of the riders in the lineup this weekend, who join riders in being ranked outside the Top 40, thus still looking to secure a berth at the invite-only showcase.

We’re talking about guys like Shane Scott, who blazed his way into the spotlight by not only winning an event title during his PBR debut (exiting a Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour showdown in Eugene, Oregon with a huge victory), but by producing a flashy fourth-place finish last weekend in Tacoma, Washington.

Occupying the No. 50 rank despite competing in just two events (Everett, Tacoma) this season, Scott would need to more than double his current 49.5 UTB points in order to surpass No. 40 Mason Taylor (130.5 UTB points) in attempting to punch his ticket to Cowtown Coliseum. Which would mean he’d likely need another Top 5 finish in order to get a look.

However, for Scott, and any of the cowboys in action this weekend, winning the event outright would directly earn them a spot at Eliminations, for each and every rider to earn a UTB event title this season is automatically qualified. Obviously, the 18-year-old, and all of the riders vying for these last few spots aren’t looking for a leg-up. They want to earn their spot.

But given the circumstances of his late-season arrival and the idea that he’s still getting used to the brightest lights in the business, he wouldn’t mind cruising into Fort Worth via a big win in Louisville.

RELATED: Unleash The Beast Game Notes: Louisville 2024

Of course, the same could be said for any of the 40 men in Friday night’s slate.

Including fellow fringe competitors in No. 48 Dawson Branton (65 UTB points), No. 51 Flavio Zivieri (42 UTB points), No. 51 Joao Lucas Campos (42 UTB points) and beyond.

For as much as the Top 5 have distanced themselves a bit from the collective pack, with No. 1 Cassio Dias now 863.83 UTB points ahead of No. 6 Koltin Hevalow, the difference between the No. 6 spot (541.5 UTB points) and No. 15 Cody Jesus (33.5 UTB points) is a mere 203 points.

And with more than 130 UTB points available at this weekend’s Midwest showdown, fans would be wise to keep an eye on the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings throughout, as we could see some drastic, last-minute changes, beginning Friday night!

On a rare opening night slate which features zero rematches throughout 40 outs, we’re keeping things fresh and feisty during the tour’s finale, as riders put it all on the line.

With the premier series preparing to conclude the 2024 slate inside KFC Yum! Center April 26-27 during the 23rd and final regular season showdown of the Unleash The Beast season, let’s take a look at who’s drawing into the lineup during the Cooper Tires PBR Louisville, presented by Pneu-Dart:

ROUND 1 MATCHUPS Eli Vastbinder vs. Always Been Crazy Vitor Losnake vs. Whiskey Business Joao Lucas Campos vs. Fast Flow Daylon Swearingen vs. Double 00 Buck Mason Taylor vs. The Agenda Mauricio Gulla Moreira vs. Triple Aught Dawson Branton vs. Watch Out Alvaro Ariel vs. Bamboozled Boudreaux Campbell vs. Ice Tray Jesse Petri vs. Rank Hank Kyler Oliver vs. The Intimidator Cort McFadden vs. The Colonel Callum Miller vs. Fire Zone Kaiden Loud vs. Magic Moves Andrew Alvidrez vs. Constitutional Carry Silvano Alves vs. Send It Flavio Zivieri vs. Mercy Rule Jake Morinec vs. Bayou Bad Boy Wyatt Rogers vs. Working Man Conner Halverson vs. Unhinged Alex Cerqueira vs. Turn Up The Heat Bob Mitchell vs. Crime Scene Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Bad Boy Ednelio Almeida vs. Black Betty Elijah Monnett vs. Blues Man JaCauy Hale vs. Happy Hour Sage Steele Kimzey vs. Sweet Move Shane Scott vs. Rock ‘n Roll Keyshawn Whitehorse vs. Old Testament Cody Jesus vs. Last Resort Leonardo Castro vs. Abacadabra Thiago Salgado vs. Rip Brady Fielder vs. I Hate You Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Locke’d Down Koltin Hevalow vs. Chain Up Alan de Souza vs. Mercy Dalton Kasel vs. Tick Eduardo Aparecido vs. Yahoo John Crimber vs. Johnny Walker Red Cassio Dias vs. Let’s Roll * denotes a rematch OUT BECAUSE OF INJURY/OTHER Austin Richardson (Injury) Caden Bunch (Injury) Kaique Pacheco (Injury) Julio Cesar Marques (Injury) Wingson Henrique da Silva (Injury) Felipe Furlan (Injury) Clay Guiton (Injury) Jose Vitor Leme (Injury) Marco Rizzo (Injury) Brady Oleson (Injury) Luciano De Castro (Injury) Ezekiel Mitchell (Declined)

CASSIO DIAS BRINGS 494.5-POINT LEAD INTO REGULAR SEASON FINALE After beginning his standout rookie season with an amazing 34-for-60 record en route to racking up a tour-best six event titles, No. 1 Cassio Dias looked to be the definition of unstoppable. Exiting more than half of his matchups with epic, round-winning scores (now up to a UTB-best 13 on the season), he didn’t care about which bull was underneath him. He was going to get the job done.

Now just 2-for-9 throughout his last three combined events, the 2024 PBR Rookie of the Year frontrunner has seemingly hit a rough patch as he continues to nurse a knee injury. And while some of his misses over the past two months could be chalked up to said knee, these recent outs don’t really suggest that. Having attended all 23 of the tour’s regular season events once this weekend’s showdown in Louisville comes to a close, the talented Brazilian’s insane workload may be catching up to him. Able to best Sky Walker Saturday night in Tacoma, Washington, for 85.5 points, just two days after being blanked (0-for-2) in Everett, Washington, Dias managed a weird 17th-place effort, now sandwiched between a pair of rideless events (which mark two of the mere six showcases all season in which he hasn’t found the whistle.)

RELATED: Dias slumping, competitors clawing closer with one regular-season event remaining

Bringing his premier series-best 35-for-66 (53.03%) record into KFC Yum! Center Friday night, he’s still very much being considered the favorite to be crowned the 2024 World Champion May 19 when the tour concludes the 24-event season inside AT&T Stadium during the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Championship. Looking to get back in the ride column during this weekend’s opening round showdown, he’ll be tested during his Round 1 dance with Let’s Roll during the final out of the night!

PBR LOUISVILLE: WHO’S IN? WHO’S OUT? Getting a bit banged up in Everett last week as the first-year professional almost got a taste of his first dual-event action, the Danger Zone bubble man himself, No. 16 Cort McFadden, is set to rejoin the pack Friday night in Louisville after sitting out the Tacoma showdown. Blazing his way onto the premier series in January, the son of PBR great Cory McFadden hasn’t been walking in his father’s footsteps throughout his rookie season; he’s been setting a new path for the family!

Toting a healthy 17-for-41 (41.46%) record as he enters his 15th event of the season, the 20-year-old rider could find himself with a spot already secured inside Jerry World next month if he’s able to produce a podium performance here to close out the regular season. Having logged at least one qualified ride in 13 of his 14 events attended thus far, he has both the skill and consistency to strike, with six of the 13 finishes seeing the Novice, Texas, inside the Top 10, including his most recent eight-place effort in Everett. Dancing with The Colonel Friday night, he joins veteran Silvano Alves in returning to the chutes in Round 1.

With the three-time World Champion declining the pair of Washington State-based showdowns, Alves will go head-to-head with Send It Friday night as the tour’s No. 42-ranked rider hopes to ride his way into a berth at the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations. Set to welcome the top 40-ranked UTB riders, plus five additional cowboys via the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, the opener inside Cowtown Coliseum wouldn’t be the same without the smile-forward veteran. There is a set of scenarios where the veteran could find himself down in Fort Worth even if he doesn’t ride any bulls this upcoming weekend (as several of the world’s Top 40-ranked riders currently injured, thus potentially missing World Finals). But having plenty of skill and all of the wisdom in the world, the 36-year-old rider would be wise to get some momentum rolling in Louisville if he hopes to make some noise at the season-ending event, rather than just qualifying for it!

As roller coasters ebb and flow, so does the pack availability as the world’s top riders continue to battle against the rankest bovines in the business.

And with that, both No. 14 Julio Cesar Marques (banged up during his Round 2 go in Tacoma) and No. 23 Felipe Furlan (injured during his opening round attempt in Everett) join No. 11 Kaique Pacheco (who’s also sitting out due to an injury sustained in Everett’s Round 1) in highlighting the “OUT” list. Thankfully for fans preparing for next month’s 2024 PBR World Finals, the trio is expected to be atop the chutes when the pack kicks things off inside Cowtown Coliseum May 9-12.

No. 39 Luciano De Castro and No. 46 Brady Oleson are also out this weekend with respective injuries, while No. 35 Ezekiel Mitchell declined the invite.

A few other guys currently banged up like No. 10 Caden Bunch and No. 26 Clay Guiton aren’t in the Louisville draw as they continue to heal up but are expected to give it a go come May’s finale!

FOLLOW ALONG Marking the 23rd and final event of the 2024 Unleash The Beast season, the two-day, three-round showcase inside KFC Yum! Center is set to bring the best bull riders into the world to Louisville, Kentucky as the premier series puts a bow on another electric campaign! This weekend’s opening slate is primed to begin Friday, April 26 at 7:45 p.m. EDT, with Round 1 airing live via RidePass on Pluto TV.

Featuring the top-ranked riders from Friday’s opening round, this weekend’s Cooper Tires PBR Louisville, presented by Pneu-Dart: Bucking Battle will air on CBS Television Network on Sunday, April 28 at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

RELATED: Where to Watch: Louisville

Round 2’s action will begin Saturday, April 27 at 1:45 p.m. PST, followed by the short go, with all of Championship Saturday’s action on CBS Sports Network beginning at 8 p.m. EDT.

Fans can also catch all three rounds of action on the TUDN Spanish broadcast, with Round 1 set to air on Saturday, April 27 at 3 p.m. EDT and all of championship Saturday’s outs airing on Sunday, April 28 at 3 p.m. EDT.

Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and PBR social media channels throughout the weekend for the latest scores, wrecks, injury updates and beyond as Unleash The Beast prepares to conclude the season in Louisville April 26-27!

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media