FORT WORTH, Texas — When Thursday night rolls around, 20 action-packed outs will determine the final two seeds in the 2024 PBR Teams Championship.

Which represents the LAST opportunity for squads to keep their postseason dreams alive.

When the eight-team playoff gauntlet comes to an end, one team will forever be etched into the league’s record books alongside the Nashville Stampede and Texas Rattlers.

The other seven will be left wondering what could’ve been.

But before we dive into all of the drama that three nights inside T-Mobile Arena will bring to the table, we’ve got to see which teams will be featured in what’s expected to be one of the most exciting and anticipated events in league history.

Enter the first-ever Ride-In Round, which will pit the league’s bottom 4-ranked teams against each other during one of the most unique formats PBR has ever witnessed.

Following the conclusion of the Challenger Series Championship, the four squads will take turns competing, with each of the units in play during the same game. We’ve seen several three-team Last Chance Games during the 2022 and 2023 PBR Teams Championships … but a fourth team?

This is a first!

At the end of the 20 outs, with each team receiving five opportunities to show up and show out, the two contingents with the highest aggregate score will have successfully punched their ticket to the postseason.

RELATED: League’s first Ride-In Round set to invade South Point Arena, crown final two postseason contenders

The other two teams will see their postseason ambitions crushed, forced to merely watch this weekend’s playoff gauntlet from the sidelines.

Or, simply, head home and get ready for their respective upcoming Unleash The Beast and Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour campaigns.

Knowing each of the Kansas City Outlaws, Carolina Cowboys, Florida Freedom, Texas Rattlers, Austin Gamblers and Missouri Thunder have already punched their spots to the postseason gauntlet means Thursday night’s showdown will feature an intense battle between the Nashville Stampede, Oklahoma Wildcatters, Arizona Ridge Riders and New York Mavericks.

An interesting mix, all things considered.

Naturally, the two “new kids on the block” in Oklahoma and New York find themselves dancing in the “win or go home” showdown. Which was expected to a certain degree, as we’ve watched on as the pair of expansion units have endured their respective growing pains throughout year one.

It’s the other two desperate groups hailing from Arizona and Nashville that seem a bit out of place.

Of course, the yellow and blue squad which calls Bridgestone Arena home won it all in 2022, so they understand what a true run to the big stage entails. And while the black and white Ridge Riders contingent hasn’t raised the shiniest gold buckle in all the land quite yet, they remain the only team in PBR Teams history to have competed on each of the tour’s first two Championship Sunday showcases inside T-Mobile Arena.

Safe money says these are the two teams expected to move on. But is there really such a thing as a safe bet in this league? Let alone in LAS VEGAS?!

Only time will tell!

With the league’s first-ever Ride-In Round right around the corner, the intense camaraderie-driven action continues this weekend inside South Point Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a night of postseason warm-up reps set to air on PBR+, starting Thursday night at 7 p.m. PST.

No. 1: Arizona Ridge Riders (Regular season rank: No. 9, 11-17 record)
The Arizona Ridge Riders may not have ended the season exactly where they predicted, closing their third regular season with an odd 11-17 record and a No. 9 rank. But if anything, it’s giving the black and white unit some additional motivation heading into the Ride-In Round. Regularly featured within the Top 5 of preseason and early-season power rankings, not many parties envisioned Head Coach Colby Yates and company competing in the postseason warm-up, but here we are. At the same time, a little star power inside South Point Arena never hurt anybody, and surely won’t this weekend!

Sitting in the No. 8 spot when this year’s individual aggregate competition came to an end, veteran Eduardo Aparecido serves as this team’s floor and ceiling at the same time. By that we mean he can provide the safest, nearly a guarantee of a conversion, regularly scored 84-85 during yet another productive season. But it’s the 34-year-old's top-end flashes which ultimately keeps him and Arizona in general, so potent. Scored above the 87-point mark in each of his last three outs (87.25, 88.25, 89.25), he’s consistently been the squad’s leader once more in 2024. But if the Ridge Riders want to keep their weekend going, they’re going to need some additional support from the likes of Luciano De Castro (who was just activated from Injured Reserve to the team’s Protected Roster), Keyshawn Whitehorse, Nick Tetz and beyond. As we mentioned during the intro, there aren’t many safe bets in Sin City. But it would be hard not to count Arizona as a favorite heading into this one.

Bringing the highest regular season aggregate score (5,235.75 points: 1,058.25 more than the Wildcatters) and most qualified rides (61: 12 more than Oklahoma) of the four units heading to South Point Arena, they’ve drastically outperformed each of the other three teams so far this season. But it all comes down to these final five outs, so they’d be wise to tap some of their late-season momentum and put on a show, starting Thursday night!

No. 2: Nashville Stampede (Regular season rank: No. 7, 12-16 record)
If the Arizona Ridge Riders are sitting pretty when it comes to comparing regular season metrics and projecting what that could mean for their postseason odds, the Nashville Stampede are much closer to throwing all of the past success, or lack thereof, out the window and concentrating on what matters: the next five outs in front of them. It doesn’t matter that said reps could represent the team’s final five attempts of the season. Head Coach Justin McBride has made viral splashes in Sin City before, preaching to his team about the highs of the sport and what it takes to climb to the top of the mountain. But he was coaching a much different blue and yellow squad in that timeline – and the year was 2022.

While the championship experience and the squad’s overall pedigree could indeed come in handy Thursday night, he’s going to have to make sure the 2024 iteration of his unit looks much closer to their first experience inside T-Mobile than that of 2023. But first, they’ll need to punch their ticket to the dance: something that becomes a bit more likely if budding superstar Kaiden Loud is rested up and ready to ride.

While it was a pair of veterans in Silvano Alves (11-for-26) and Alan de Souza (9-for-29) who technically paced the squad on the big board and will very much be needed come Thursday night, it was Loud’s 7-for-18 effort which continues to represent both the now and the future for Nashville, as the 19-year-old has been rock solid, when healthy. Exactly what’s kept him to just 18 attempts during his second season of 5-on-5 action, varying amounts of health. If the youngster is able to give it a go, his presence will go a long way in helping the Stampede over the finish line and potentially securing a spot at the 2024 PBR Teams Championship.

If not, it’ll be up to several of the team’s veterans, including guys like Cody Jesus, Chase Outlaw and company, who will need to step up when the lights are brightest. Knowing the amount of wisdom and talent inside that locker room, not to mention coaching motivation and overall drive, means the Nashville Stampede should be sitting alongside Arizona as a favorite to out-last the tour’s pair of newcomers.

No. 3: Oklahoma Wildcatters (Regular season rank: No. 8, 11-16-1 record)The Oklahoma Wildcatters enjoyed a fast start to their first season in the PBR Camping World Team Series landscape. Eventually ending their season ranked No. 8 at 11-16-1, they were a mere half game back from the No. 6 Missouri Thunder, who claimed the final automatic postseason seed. They’ve got a few established veterans on the squad. But, generally speaking, they’ve thrived most when their young trio of stars in Clay Guiton, Cort McFadden and 22-year-old Eduardo Matos were firing on all cylinders.

Matos, who finished the campaign ranked No. 6 in the MVP standings, represents the highest-ranked cowboy set to give it a go Thursday, with the Top 5-scoring riders in John Crimber, Brady Fielder, Sandro Batista, Jose Vitor Leme and Cassio Dias set to resume their productive efforts later in the weekend. Bringing his team-best 18-for-29 record into the Ride-In Round, he’s been a welcome addition to Head Coach J.B. Mauney’s expansion squad in 2024. And while most knew Guiton and McFadden would be bringing the heat after their standout rookie campaigns on Unleash The Beast, Matos has been just the surprise the brown and blue unit needed.

One of just two teams (amongst the four competing in the Ride-In Round) who surpassed the 4,000-point aggregate score mark (alongside Arizona), Oklahoma’s 4,177.5 points rank as the second-highest total amongst the four squads set to compete inside South Point Arena. When they strike, they’re extremely potent. However, when the team has an off night, it can quickly result in a no-score effort. If Matos can set the bar early in the contest, we’ve got a feeling Guiton and McFadden will be ready to keep things rolling. Knowing Bob Mitchell, Josh Frost, Tate Pollmeier, Austin Richardson and folks will be around, available and anticipating a big night for Oklahoma, we aren’t counting the Wildcatters out of this, one bit!

No. 4 New York Mavericks (Regular season rank: No. 10, 11-17 record)
Arguably the league’s biggest wild card in 2024, the New York Mavericks have been the definition of quirky during their first trip around the country. Brining the Empire State its first-ever professional bull riding team, Head Coach Kody Lostroh and his year one unit helped usher the ever-thrilling 5-on-5 tour to the northeast this season, an addition that will likely lend dividends for seasons to come. But with the team’s first regular season officially under their belt, there’s less of a “honeymoon” vibe and much more of a “let’s finish the job” feel inside the locker room. They have every chance to move on, and could very likely do so, depending on which version of the squad shows up inside South Point Arena.

New York is still trying to identify its star at this point, with several guys contributing quality efforts but nobody standing out quite yet as a certified star. Leonardo Castro has the tools to assume said status but the 20-year-old was just 6-for-17 this time around. Mauricio Moreira (7-for-24) and Mason Taylor (7-for-21) are the team’s only riders who ranked higher than Castro in the MVP race, claiming No. 30 and No. 31 ranks, respectively. Leandro Machado (6-for-17) and Hudson Bolton (5-for-15) round out Mavericks’ riders who were ranked inside the Top 50, meaning it’s been quite the group effort for New York in 2024. Which is fine, all things considered, as they’ll likely need several scores in order to make their way over to T-Mobile Arena this weekend.

The biggest mystery could revolve around exactly which five riders Lostroh will fit into his starting lineup Thursday night. Fellow youngsters in Marco Rizzo (who’s established himself as quite the top-tier rider when healthy and feeling it) and Maverick Smith bring plenty of talent into the Challenger Series Championship follow-up showcase, so if they aren’t in the opening draw, fans can keep an eye out for the talents to get involved in potential re-ride or Extra Out scenarios.

At the end of the day, we wouldn’t be shocked to see one of the two expansion units pull of what would be considered an “upset” (especially when you consider the amount of established veterans rostered by both Arizona and Nashville). But if that’s to happen, we’ll need to see the fireworks flying early and often Thursday night in Sin City.

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

Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media