PUEBLO, Colo. — Following the opening weekend slate at the first-ever PBR Teams: Wildcatter Days, each of the 10 PBR Camping World Team Series’ squads have officially dipped their toes in the year three waters.

And while we’re far from knowing exactly which six teams are primed to compete inside T-Mobile Arena this fall during the 2024 PBR Teams Championship, we sure do have an idea of who’s healthy and motived as ever as Week 2 quickly approaches.

Most folks around the industry expected each of the Arizona Ridge Riders, Carolina Cowboys and Kansas City Outlaws to enjoy some early-season success, no doubt.

Seeing the roster that J.B. Mauney and company assembled, many assumed they’d need a little time to figure the whole thing out but guessed that timeline would be quicker than that of the New York Mavericks.

RELATED: Wildcatters living up to Mauney’s predictions with strong opening weekend at home

Which, after exiting their first-ever homestand with a favorable 2-1 record, including wins over the Austin Gamblers and defending PBR Champion Texas Rattlers, it appears Oklahoma could be on the quick track to success, should the squad stay the course.

With eight of the league’s 10 units able to secure at least one win throughout the season-opener inside Paycom Center, it’s not overly surprising that the Mavericks were one of two winless squads, currently 0-3, as they entered the season rather banged up and with one of the least experienced rosters.

But perhaps the biggest shocker from Week 1 came in the form of the two-time regular season champion Gamblers coming away with an uncharacteristic 0-for-2 record.

Having spent the offseason sacrificing a bit of depth (trading Cort McFadden, who went 3-for-3 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Austin Richardson in exchange for 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco), a majority of tour followers figured the green and black contingent would storm into the place and perform as usual.

That was far from the reality, however, as the Gamblers managed just two ride scores throughout their first 10 outs of the season, with Dalton Kasel and two-time PBR Teams MVP Jose Vitor Leme recording qualified rides during their first game of the season. Eventually dropping the decision to the Kansas City Outlaws before later suffering a 155.75-0 final to the hometown Wildcatters, Austin currently occupies the No. 9 spot in the league’s official standings.

But if Leme, Kasel and Pacheco can turn things around this weekend in Duluth, Georgia, (which we expect they will), the Gamblers still need to be considered a title-contender. It’s easy for us to crown the Cowboys this year’s potential all-star team, but betting against Leme is like betting against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL (National Football League).

So, you won’t find us counting out the Michael Gaffney and Adriano Moraes-coached squad. In Week 2 or any other event this summer. While we’ve adjusted their rank accordingly, we still have Austin at the No. 4 spot, as two games aren’t but a fraction of the opportunities they have in year three.

Outside the Gamblers falling a few spots, Carolina jumping up to the No. 1 spot and some slight mid-pack shuffling, including Cody Lambert’s Rattlers down to the No. 7 spot (from No. 5), we aren’t jumping the gun just yet on anything drastic.

With 11 regular season events remaining, there’s plenty of time for this thing to get spicy.

And that’s exactly what we’re hoping for!

Fans can stay tuned to the league’s official 2024 PBR Camping World Teams Series standings here throughout the action-packed season and are encouraged to share their own rankings with us on @PBR social media channels!

With all of this summer’s action set to air on Merit Street, be sure to download the Merit+ app and bookmark the Merit Street Media homepage, as they’ll be the home to all 10 teams and 12 events of the epic summer series!

Without further ado, the Week 2 PBR Camping World power rankings!

No. 1: Carolina Cowboys (Week 1 Rank: No. 4) There may have been three teams who exited Wildcatter Days with matching 2-0 records but the way the Carolina Cowboys earned their hot start surely stands out from the rest. Not only did potential role players in Adriano Salgado and Derek Kolbaba strike early during the team’s season-opening showdown against the Florida Freedom, but they did so in their own respective stunning fashions. For Kolbaba, who attempted a bull for the first time since breaking his neck last summer, it was great to see him back, healthy and thriving, turning in a welcomed 88.5-point strike en route to going 1-for-2 overall. Kicking things up a notch, it was Salgado’s event-high 93-point dance which may have represented the ultimate flash, though.

All of that without mentioning their top-tier trio of Cooper Davis (2-for-2), Sage Steele Kimzey (2-for-2) and 2022 World Champion Daylon Swearingen (1-for-2) definitely spells out trouble for each of the league’s other nine contingents. With Davis getting his team off to a hot start in both games, only to put on his “coaching hat” for the following four outs and Kimzey serving as one of the tour’s most potent closers, this could be the year Jerome Davis and crew find themselves in the winner’s circle come October.

RELATED: Cooper Davis returns from broadcast booth to impact role for Carolina Cowboys

No. 2: Arizona Ridge Riders (Week 1 Rank: No. 3) As the only team to participate in both postseason’s first two Championship Sunday showdowns, the Ridge Riders entered year three within the group of favored squads set up to make some noise in 2024. And after producing one of the weekend’s three four-ride efforts during their night one win over the Nashville Stampede, they quickly reminded us why they’re regular contenders. If Nick Tetz (2-for-2) and Keyshawn Whitehorse (2-for-2) can continue knocking them down like they did in OKC and veterans Luciano De Castro and Eduardo Aparecido can convert every-other game or so, they’ll very much find themselves dancing inside T-Mobile Arena once again. Slated to take on a pair of middle-pack groups this weekend at PBR Teams: Duluth in the Texas Rattlers (1-1) and Missouri Thunder (1-2), they have an opportunity to stay undefeated while keeping pace with Kansas City and Carolina. That is, if they can survive their opening night showdown against the No. 1-ranked Cowboys on Friday night.

RELATED: Arizona Ridge Riders make most of PBR Teams bye week via event-clinching efforts

No. 3: Kanas City Outlaws (Week 1 Rank: No. 2) With three matching 2-0 teams, there isn’t a lot to poke and prod just yet in differentiating the tour’s top-performing squads. So when we say the Kansas City Outlaws, in theory, dropped one spot in the power rankings despite their perfect start, we’re not picking on anybody here. But it’s hard to not revere the squads who posted four and five ride scores, right? Thankfully for J.W. Hart and Guilherme Marchi, they have 2024 World Champion Cassio Dias rocking orange and black once again. Knowing their all-star went 2-for-3 during his first weekend back from healing up a lower-body injury is a good sign, overall.

The better sign, potentially, is that Dias may have some consistent help this season thanks to teammate Koltin Hevalow, who produced a flawless 2-for-2 effort.

At 88.5 and 85.5 points, he didn’t break the bank with his Week 1 outs. But when those conversions come during the first out of the side, the momentum they provide is just as valuable as the score. And in a format where the highest aggregate score wins, 85.5, or any score, beats zero 10 times out of 10. While they’ll need to figure out what the middle of their lineup looks like on a night-in, night-out basis, it was good to see Sandro Batista and Teams newbie Brennon Eldred step up to help the Outlaws edge out their in-state rival Missouri Thunder Sunday.

No. 4: Austin Gamblers (Week 1 Rank: No. 1) Alas, the biggest surprise from the opening slate: The 0-2 Austin Gamblers. Dropping both of its first two games, albeit to quality competition, the Gamblers should technically be ranked a little lower in the Week 2 power rankings. But if these are actually based on “power” and not past performance, there’s nothing changing about the team rostering the ever-talented trio of Dalton Kasel, Jose Vitor Leme and Kaique Pacheco. While Pacheco may have been knocking some cobwebs away on Sunday after suffering a bit of a concussion Friday night, he’s still a World Champion for a reason. Just as Leme is the two-time PBR Teams MVP. But the only accolades that matter right now are early-season wins, something they’ll look to secure this weekend inside Gas South Arena.

RELATED: Dias and Leme trade blows, renew MVP rivalry as 2024 PBR Teams season begins

No. 5: Oklahoma Wildcatters (Week 1 Rank: No. 7) If the Gamblers starting their season 0-2 was the biggest surprise in a negative sense, the Oklahoma Wildcatters netting a productive 2-1 start of their own has to be the biggest surprise in a good way. And anytime J.B. Mauney is having fun and sporting a smile, the bull riding industry in winning. Seeing his year one hometown squad take care of business in a big way during Week 1, he and General Manager Brandon Bates have to be over the moon knowing Cort McFadden is blossoming into a superstar. Add in some early-season success from No. 2 overall selection at the 2024 PBR Teams New Rider Draft, Clay Guiton, who went 2-for-3 on the weekend, and it’s apparent that the kids are going to be alright. The real treat could be when Austin Richardson is able to return to the lineup, so we may just be scratching the surface in seeing the heights the blue and brown unit could ascend to this summer. For now, they’ll respectfully occupy the No. 5 spot, as we want to see if they can keep the momentum rolling in Duluth.

No. 6: Florida Freedom (Week 1 Rank: No. 6) This squad should be 2-0 after posting four rides during their Saturday night showdown against the Carolina Cowboys. But watching on as Jerome Davis coached his team to a perfect 5-for-5 as the team posted the third perfect game in PBR Teams history, they’ll have to settle for their role in what’s now the highest-scoring game in Teams history, as riders went a combined 9-for-10 overall. With No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 PBR Teams New Rider Draft John Crimber getting his rookie season off to a favorable, 2-for-2 start and Elizmar Jeremias sitting atop the PBR Teams MVP standings after sparking his squad via a flashy 3-for-3 slate, this squad could continue trending in the right direction in Week 2. Caden Bunch looked good during his night two conversion and will likely continue to heat up as the team gets settled in as well. The Freedom will be competitive in most games, beginning Friday night during their showdown against the Texas Rattlers.

No. 7: Texas Rattlers (Week 1 Rank: No. 5) Texas has the talent to win in 2024, just as they did during their run to glory last fall … It just wasn’t on display much during the season-opening showcase. Thankfully for the Ariat-fueled squad, they still managed a 1-1 start to their championship-defending campaign. Initially dropping a bit of a shocker to the Wildcatters during Friday night’s finale, the team went 0-for-5, getting blanked for the first time since the 2022 season after recording at least one ride in each game during the 2023 iteration. Putting the weird, down night in the rearview mirror before returning to Paycom Center Saturday night, the Rattlers recorded an encouraging 261.25-0 win over the Thunder as they watched their opponent suffer the zero this time around. Both Brady Fielder and veteran Joao Ricardo Vieira (courtesy of a re-ride attempt) got the job done for Texas, as expected. But it was Marcelo Procopio Pereira’s 84.25 points which may have been the most welcomed of the three, as the Rattlers, along with every other squad, need to figure out the heart of their lineup sooner than later. Fielder and JRV will, and regularly do, come through. The mystery lies within the talents of Brady Oleson, Jesse Petri and beyond: both of which need to be quality role players should Texas want to run it back.

No. 8: Nashville Stampede (Week 1 Rank: No. 8) Knowing Jess Lockwood got a bit banged up during the team’s second showdown of the season keeps them down here at No. 8 despite managing to pick up a victory in Week 1. However, that win was solely in thanks to Mason Taylor, as the cowboy was the game’s lone rider to make the 8. Going 2-for-3 overall, Taylor was 100% the team’s shining star, even if his re-emergence was a bit unexpected to some. Justin McBride expected it though, as the legend completely believes in the kid to return to his prior form: An event-winning, bull riding menace.

Taylor can’t ride all five, though, so it was good to see Silvano Alves (2-for-3), Ednelio Almeida (1-for-3) and company find the qualified ride column as the weekend progressed. While it was Taylor’s “welcome back” weekend for the Stampede, the team as a whole was able to string together a 3-for-5 effort during a showdown with Arizona, but eventually dropped the contest 340.5-255, as the Ridge Riders turned in a 4-for-5 effort. Nashville has lurked toward the bottom of the regular season standings for each of the first two seasons, so it’s not a surprise to see them at the No. 8 spot one week in. That said, as long as the blue and yellow unit can continue finding the whistle while giving their all, they’ll remain in contention to avoid a date inside South Point Casino, Resort & Spa, rather hoping to secure their Top 6 spot to compete inside T-Mobile Arena.

No. 9: Missouri Thunder (Week 1 Rank: No. 9) There’s nothing wrong with starting the season 1-2 if the team was looking good overall. Hell, we could’ve witnessed a set of scenarios where the Thunder didn’t earn any victories in Week 1. Drawing two of the league’s deeper teams in the Texas Rattlers and Kansas City Outlaws, they were able to take advantage of a struggling New York squad who’s still getting their guys on the same page. But if we know anything about Boudreaux Campbell, Andrew Alvidrez and company, it’s that they don’t settle. So, the team isn’t likely content with their .333 win percentage off rip. That said, Ross Coleman and Luke Snyder had to have liked what they saw from Briggs Madsen, who’s currently occupying the No. 3 spot in the PBR Teams MVP standings.

Bringing the highest-scored pair of conversions into Week 2 after besting Black Gold for 90.25 points and Margin of Error for 89, his 2-for-2 start could be exactly what the red and yellow squad needs in year three. Of course, after acquiring Campbell, they figured they would be a little bit closer to a “win now” team. Which is still very much in the cards if they can rebound this weekend and avoid no-score efforts. Set to endure a bye game on Friday night, they should be well-rested and ready to give the Oklahoma Wildcatters and Arizona Ridge Riders a run for their money as the weekend progresses.

No. 10 New York Mavericks (Week 1 Rank: No. 10) Unable to produce a single qualified ride through the team’s first two games, the New York Mavericks knew they had to get something done on Sunday. And while they still ended up dropping the Game 3 decision to the red-hot Carolina Cowboys, 161.25-82.5, the unit still had something to celebrate, as Davi Henrique de Lima was able to record the franchise’s first-ever conversion. Scored 82.5 points for the dance, it wasn’t an all-world performance, but it sure did feel like one for Kody Lostroh and company who got the collective monkey of their back.

Navigating the event format in general as the week went on, it wasn’t a pretty sight when Braidy Randolph ended up getting disqualified by exerting the chute clock in Game 2. But after the Brazilian provided something to build on for the year one squad, just days after being signed as a free agent, he’ll look to his fellow countryman in Ederson Santos to help shoulder the load in Week 2 and beyond.

Despite news breaking that Vitor Losnake suffered quite the lower-body injury over the weekend, we’re not counting the Mavericks out just yet. But they need to show up and show out this weekend if they want to exit the basement of the standings. The sooner Marco Rizzo is available, the sooner they can be firing on all cylinders.

Fans are encouraged to share their feedback and power rankings of their own by tagging @PBR social media channels!

Summer supporters can also stay tuned to PBR.com and Merit Street Media platforms as we dive into this 5-on-5 format, one week at a time!

Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media