PUEBLO, Colo. – As the PBR Camping World Team Series surges head-on into its 10th week of regular season action, teams around the circuit are well aware that only three regular season showdowns remain on this summer’s schedule.

The 2024 PBR Teams Championship, set to invade T-Mobile Arena Oct. 18-20, is set to welcome the league’s Top 6-ranked teams for some postseason drama in Sin City.

And while it’s very wise to recognize the circumstances and nerve-numbing emotions that come with the epic playoff gauntlet, teams would be smart to zoom in on this weekend’s PBR Teams: Cowboy Days.

Specifically, the league-leading No. 1 Carolina Cowboys, who not only have a chance to continue their dominant 2024 campaign on home dirt, but potentially put a big ole shiny bow on their runaway season, potentially able to clinch a postseason berth inside Greensboro Coliseum.

At 15-4-1, Carolina is ultimately in charge of their own destiny.

With eight games remaining in the 2024 season, the Cowboys need just five wins to break the current regular season win total record (19 wins, achieved by the Austin Gamblers in 2023).

At the same time, they’ll need to keep an eye on the No. 2 Kansa City Outlaws, who bring a similar 15-6 slate into Carolina’s homestand.

Set to square off with the orange and black squad in night one’s final head-to-head matchup, the only way this Game 4 battle could’ve been more dramatic is if fans had to wait until the Sunday afternoon finale. But the schedule-makers wouldn’t have known that some four months back, so we’ll accept the spicy opening night showdown with open arms.

Without getting into the numerical weeds, there’s definitely a chance the Richard Childress Racing-owned unit can seal the deal this weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina.

But simply getting an invite to the season-ending dance is not the goal for Head Coach Jerome Davis and company. Once they get their dancing shoes on, they aren’t looking to take them off until late Sunday night, after a few trips around the Las Vegas strip alongside the spiciest gold buckle in the business.

In order to achieve said honors while being showered with blue and white confetti launched throughout T-Mobile Arena, they’ll need to see their A-list set of riders remain consistent: a task they haven’t struggled with too much here in season three.

RELATED: Where to Watch: Cowboy Days

As the only unit with four different riders ranked in the top 15 of the PBR Teams MVP race, including Cooper Davis (No. 8), Sage Steele Kimzey (No. 10), Daylon Swearingen (No. 13) and Derek Kolbaba (No. 14), they’re obviously equipped with the star power needed to get the job done.

Having run into some health concerns in each of the team’s first two campaigns, they’ve, for the most part, avoided the injury bug in a big way this time around. The biggest concern they’ve been forced to deal with this season revolves around Adriano Salgado, who showed some early-season flashes for the team before getting a bit banged up mid-season.

Knowing the Brazilian cowboy continued to defend the tour’s highest-scored ride of the summer means the Cowboys will 100% want him back in the fold come the postseason. And if that means letting the talent rest up and recover here over the home stretch, so be it.

Ethan Winckler and Dawson Branton have done a decent job of filling the team’s No. 3 spot the past few weeks, but the team opted into signing Trey Benton III this week for a chance of pace.

Inserting the 32-year-old right into Friday night’s lineup, they must have liked something they saw from the veteran earlier this summer during his time competing with the Florida Freedom, as he’s set to dance with Bandito Bug in the heart of Carolina’s Game 4 lineup.

Of course, the Cowboys would love to exit the circuit’s 18-game slate with a bit of a crown and some congratulations, if not a bunch of positive momentum. But knowing teams don’t get much of an advantage anymore courtesy of their tour-best efforts begs the question:

Is the regular season championship really worth chasing?

There aren’t postseason bye games any more, thus no real reason to chase the No. 1 spot. Sure, Carolina could get the best postseason seed, essentially getting the “easiest” matchups inside T-Mobile Arena, should they secure a regular season title.

But isn’t that just setting yourself up for matchups against the two hottest teams from the Ride In Round? And knowing how hot some of the league’s No. 7 and No. 8 seeds have been in Las Vegas … it sure doesn’t seem to be a spot we’d recommend entering the end-all, be-all in.

If anything, the regular season crown could be a curse, as the Gamblers have yet to exit a postseason gauntlet in the winner’s circle, with Austin getting bounced out of the competition early in 2022 before eventually losing the 2023 Championship game to the Texas Rattlers.

But that’s all talk for another day.

For now, the Cowboys have fans to entertain. Influencers to greet. Business to take care of.

And if things play out well for Carolina, a playoff spot to secure.

It might be just another weekend of competition for nine of the PBR Teams contingents. But it couldn’t be farther from reality for the No. 1 Carolina Cowboys.

Set to embrace tons of festival-based activations, meet-and-greets with local government dignitaries, bull weigh-ins and beyond, the league-leading Cowboys have home dirt to defend.

Exactly what they’ll look to heading into their Week 10 homestand event with matchups looming against three of the league’s Top 7-ranked teams in the (15-6) Kansas City Outlaws, (9-12) Nashville Stampede and (9-12) Missouri Thunder.

They’ll need to bring a heavy grind to the arena if they want to pave their path to the postseason. But we wouldn’t expect anything less from the gritty squad General Manager Austin Dillon has assembled.

With the Austin Gamblers and Oklahoma Wildcatters enjoying an opening night bye game, the Cowboys will suit up alongside the Florida Freedom, New York Mavericks, Texas Rattlers, Missouri Thunder, Arizona Ridge Riders, Nashville Stampede and Kansas City Outlaws in getting the show started Friday night inside Greensboro Coliseum.

Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest news, league updates and beyond. And be sure to catch all of this weekend’s action on Merit Street, the Merit+ App and CBS Television Network as the PBR Camping World Team Series rages on!

CAN MVP FRONTRUNNER SANDRO BATISTA FEND OFF THE PACK IN GREENSBORO?While Sandro Batista 100% deserves his time to shine atop the MVP standings, it’s typically names like Jose Vitor Leme and John Crimber that fans have been used to seeing in that spot this season. One of the two riders had occupied said lead at the end of six of the season’s first eight events (with Cassio Dias and Elizmar Jeremias the other two riders to hold the No. 1 rank), so it might take some time getting used to seeing the Brazilian star in Batista atop the pack.

At the same time, we’ve seen the talent flash in the 5-on-5 world before. Technically, even for the team he once represented, now slated as the Outlaws' opening night opponents.

He’s just been converting at a much more efficient rate throughout the 2024 slate than in seasons past, now leading the PBR Camping World Team Series field in both overall conversions (17 – tied with Crimber) and rider efficiency (70.83% – recognizing riders with 20+ outs). Which, if both hold true until the end of the regular season, will earn him both the MVP honors and Great 8 Award, earned by the most efficient rider who’s attempted at least 20 bulls in the summer series.

Despite seeing his impressive eight-out ride streak come to an end in Kansas City, he’s still converted in 11 of his last 12 outs since starting up another heater last weekend in Anaheim, California. Posting a stunning 3-for-3 record on the weekend as he fueled his Outlaws to a flawless 2-0 record, the man has been the definition of locked and loaded lately. He isn’t throwing down subpar scores, either, currently averaging an 87.48-point mark over his last 11 qualified rides and officially 16.5 points ahead of Crimber in the overall aggregate score.

Batista prepares to dance with Unhinged as Kansas City’s lead-off rider during their showdown with the hometown and league-leading Cowboys. Crimber, set to close things out for the Florida Freedom during Friday night’s opener, has drawn a meeting with Gunsmoke, while Leme is set to rest up during the opening night of PBR Teams: Cowboy Days action as his Austin Gamblers enjoy a bye game. Leme, the two-time and only PBR Teams MVP in the league’s history, is a mere ride (80.25 points) back from his fellow countryman – a lead he will look to erase, starting Saturday night.

2024 PBR TEAMS: COWBOY DAYS MATCHUPS
Friday, September 20:Florida Freedom vs. New York Mavericks
Texas Rattlers vs. Missouri Thunder
Arizona Ridge Riders vs. Nashville Stampede
Kansas City Outlaws vs. Carolina Cowboys

Saturday, September 21:
Oklahoma Wildcatters vs. Missouri ThunderAustin Gamblers vs. Florida Freedom
Arizona Ridge Riders vs. Texas Rattlers
Nashville Stampede vs. Carolina Cowboys

Sunday, September 22:
Arizona Ridge Riders vs. Kansas City OutlawsFlorida Freedom vs. Oklahoma Wildcatters
Austin Gamblers vs. New York Mavericks
Missouri Thunder vs. Carolina Cowboys

FOLLOW ALONG
This weekend’s PBR Teams: Cowboy Days showcase in Greensboro, North Carolina, is set to begin Friday, Sept. 20 at 7:45 p.m. EDT as the Florida Freedom and New York Mavericks get the three-day showcase started inside Greensboro Coliseum.

With competition set to continue Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:45 p.m. EDT and conclude Sunday, Sept. 22 at 1:45 p.m. EDT, the eighth team-hosted event of the regular season will see the world’s best bull riders lay it all on the line with just four weeks remaining until the 2024 PBR Teams Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 18-20!

Fans can tune into Merit Street and the Merit+ App on Friday, Sept. 20 beginning at 10 p.m. EDT to take in the four opening night games. Night two’s slate, airing on Saturday, Sept. 21, will also air on Merit Street and the Merit+ App starting at 8 p.m. EDT, with all of Sunday’s showdowns concluding the weekend’s coverage on Merit Street and the Merit+ App beginning at 6 p.m. EDT.

Week 10’s CBS “Game of the Week” features a showdown between the Nashville Stampede and hometown Carolina Cowboys, which will air on CBS Television Network on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m. EDT (fans are encouraged to check their local listings).

Spanish broadcasts of all three days of action will also air on TUDN, with night one’s action airing on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 3 p.m. EDT, Saturday’s slate airing on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m. EDT and Sunday’s showdowns airing on Monday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m. EDT.

Fans can keep an eye on PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest news, scores, wrecks and more! And be sure to download the Merit+ App to watch all of this season’s exclusive action!

Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media