Just over four weeks remain on the 2024 PRCA season, and the standings are sure to shuffle as we prepare for the peak of the PRCA Playoff Series. Big money is up for grabs in September, starting with the PRCA Playoff Series Finale in Puyallup, Washington, Sept. 5-8.

The top 23 teams in the PRCA Playoff Series standings and the NFR Open champs will go to battle for a purse of $73,000 on both ends and for the chance to qualify for the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the end of the month.

A Refresher

Standings are kept throughout the season and there is a championship event at the end of the year. Contestants competed at rodeos such as Odessa, San Antonio and Salinas, just to name a few, to earn points. 

Points are distributed to contestants who place in the top 20 at each of the designated PRCA Playoff Series Rodeos, based on the fastest time (or highest score). For rodeos with multiple rounds, the points are calculated based on the average. Tournament rodeos are more complicated, but points are assigned based on how far each competitor advanced through the tournament.

The *top 23 in the standings, plus the NFR Open team roping champs, then compete in Puyallup at the Playoff Series Finale. The top eight teams from the Playoff Series year-end standings and the top four from Puyallup will earn a position into The Governor’s Cup, Sept. 26-28.

And no, the Playoff Series rodeos aren’t quite over yet, which means the top eight to qualify for Sioux Falls isn’t determined yet. These are the final Playoff Series rodeos:

• Filer, ID
• Ellensburg, WA
• Walla Walla, WA
• Abilene, TX
• Pendleton, OR
• Albuquerque, NM

* If the NFR Open champion header and/or heeler do not enter or are already qualified based on Playoff Series Standings, the next highest ranked header and/or heeler from the Final Four Round of the NFR Open (who has not already qualified based on Playoff Series Standings) will be accepted. This year, Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira won the NFR Open but are already qualified for Puyallup, as well as the second-place team from the NFR Open, Derrick Begay and Colter Todd. Unofficially, we believe Erich Rogers and Paul Eaves will fulfill the NFR Open position.

So, who’s going to Puyallup?

These are the PRCA Playoff Series standings, as of Aug. 27.

Projected Payout

Puyallup Rodeo has a purse of $73,000 for both the head and heel side.

Payoff per performance:

• 1st: $3,450 per man
• 2nd: $2,587.50 per man
• 3rd: $1,725 per man
• 4th: $862.50 per man

In the Semifinals, which will be made up of eight teams, 5th-8th will receive $1,500 a man. The top four teams will advance to the Finals. Payoff for the Finals is as follows:

• 1st: $13,000 per man
• 2nd: $9,750 per man
• 3rd: $6,500 per man
• 4th: $3,250 per man

What’s this Governor’s Cup, and why does it matter?

The Governor’s Cup takes place Sept. 26-28, 2024, and offers a payout across eight events of $1 million. In the team roping, there is a purse of $144,444 per side. 

The close of the PRCA regular season is Sept. 30. That means that the following massive payouts will hit during the final days of the season and it will have an impact on who makes the National Finals Rodeo in December as the buzzer sounds.