Nine days are left in the 2026 regular season, and the last NFR team roping spots are separated by less than one check.
Dawson Graham holds No. 15 heading at $107,278, with four men inside $2,172 of him. Dillon Graham holds No. 15 heeling at $114,573, with Colter Todd $4,239 back and Wesley Thorp $6,221 back.
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There are two numbers to chase. One is the man at No. 15 today. The other is where the line will finish. TRJ projects the cut at about $119,500 heading and $123,500 heeling, because the line climbs every time a man below it passes the man on it.
Here is who is on the bubble, what each man needs and where he is entered. Entries are from PRCA trade lists as of Sept. 21. Trade lists are not draws. Turnouts and trades happen daily, and a roper who isn’t listed can walk up where there’s room.
The heading bubble
| No. | Header | Money | To No. 15 | To $119,500 | Sioux Falls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Brye Crites | $119,385 | +$12,108 | $115 | No |
| 13 | Clay Smith | $112,415 | +$5,137 | $7,085 | No |
| 14 | Ketch Kelton | $110,185 | +$2,907 | $9,315 | No |
| 15 | Dawson Graham | $107,278 | — | $12,222 | Yes |
| 16 | Nelson Wyatt | $106,761 | -$517 | $12,739 | No |
| 17 | Brenten Hall | $106,314 | -$964 | $13,186 | No |
| 18 | Clint Summers | $106,068 | -$1,210 | $13,432 | No |
| 19 | Coy Rahlmann | $105,106 | -$2,172 | $14,394 | No |
| 20 | Cory Kidd V | $100,209 | -$7,069 | $19,291 | Yes |
The heeling bubble
| No. | Heeler | Money | To No. 15 | To $123,500 | Sioux Falls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Denton Dunning | $119,040 | +$4,467 | $4,460 | No |
| 14 | Wyatt Cox | $114,939 | +$366 | $8,561 | No |
| 15 | Dillon Graham | $114,573 | — | $8,927 | Yes |
| 16 | Colter Todd | $110,334 | -$4,239 | $13,166 | No |
| 17 | Wesley Thorp | $108,352 | -$6,221 | $15,148 | No |
| 18 | Jonathan Torres | $106,761 | -$7,812 | $16,739 | No |
| 19 | Logan Medlin | $106,072 | -$8,501 | $17,428 | No |
| 20 | Jade Corkill | $106,068 | -$8,505 | $17,432 | No |
What’s left to win
The Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, S.D., Sept. 25-27, adds $166,667 per side for 12 teams, and only qualifiers can rope. Each of the first two performances pays $12,533, $9,400, $6,267 and $3,133 a man. Fifth through eighth in the semifinals pays $4,500. The finals pay $34,000, $26,000, $17,000 and $9,000.
The 377 Last Hoorah in Stephenville, Texas, on Sept. 30 adds $37,500 per side for 90 teams, and every team below is entered. A round win pays $4,194 a man. The aggregate pays $8,389, $7,294, $6,200, $5,106, $4,012, $2,918, $1,824 and $729. A perfect day is worth $22,204.
Added money per side at the rest: San Bernardino, Calif., $20,000; Poway, Calif., $8,000; Mona, Utah, $7,250; Pasadena, Texas, $6,500; Amarillo, Texas, $6,000; Stephenville’s Cowboy Capital rodeo, $5,000; Bakersfield, Calif., $3,000. Entry fees go on top.
On the line
Dawson Graham (No. 15) / Dillon Graham (No. 15)
What they need: To stay ahead of the men behind them, and they have the best chance of anyone to do it. They are the only team at the line going to Sioux Falls. Fourth in one performance there moves Dawson to $110,411 and past Ketch Kelton. A performance win alone puts him at $119,811, above the projected cut. For Dillon, fourth in the finals alone is worth $123,573, which clears the heeling projection by $73.
- Governor’s Cup, Sioux Falls: Sept. 25-27
- San Bernardino: Saturday, Sept. 26, slack, 9 a.m.
- 377 Last Hoorah: Sept. 30
Inside, not clear
Brye Crites (No. 12) / Ross Ashford (No. 8)
What they need: Crites is $115 short of the projected heading cut. Any check gets him there. Ashford is already past the heeling projection and ropes Sioux Falls with Lightning Aguilera. Crites missed Sioux Falls by 3.92 points.
- Poway: Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m.
- San Bernardino: Saturday, Sept. 26, slack, 9 a.m.
- 377 Last Hoorah: Sept. 30
Clay Smith (No. 13)
What he needs: Smith is $5,137 clear of the line and $7,085 short of the projection. Both of his heelers are going to Sioux Falls without him, Coleby Payne with Tanner Tomlinson and Trey Yates with Garrett Tonozzi. Yates has notified turnout at Mona.
- Pasadena: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m. (Payne)
- Amarillo: Thursday, Sept. 24, slack, 8 a.m. (Payne)
- San Bernardino: Saturday, Sept. 26, slack, 9 a.m. (Yates)
- Poway: Saturday, Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m. (Yates)
- 377 Last Hoorah: Sept. 30 (Payne)
Ketch Kelton (No. 14) / Denton Dunning (No. 13)
What they need: Kelton has a $2,907 cushion and is the most exposed man inside. If Dawson Graham cashes once in Sioux Falls, Kelton becomes the line. He needs $9,315 to reach the projection. Dunning is $4,467 clear of the heeling line and $4,460 short of the projection.
- Poway: Friday, Sept. 25, slack, 10 a.m.
- San Bernardino: Sunday, Sept. 27, 6 p.m.
- 377 Last Hoorah: Sept. 30
Chasing
Nelson Wyatt (No. 16) / Jonathan Torres (No. 18)
What they need: Wyatt is $517 behind Dawson Graham. Eighth in the Last Hoorah aggregate would do it. The projection is $12,739 away, which is more than a round win and the aggregate win at the Last Hoorah combined. Torres is $7,812 back and needs the equivalent of an aggregate win.
- Poway: Saturday, Sept. 26, 1 p.m.
- San Bernardino: Saturday, Sept. 26, 8 p.m.
- 377 Last Hoorah: Sept. 30
Brenten Hall (No. 17) / Wyatt Cox (No. 14)
What they need: Hall is $964 behind Graham and $13,186 short of the projection. Cox is inside the heeling line by $366 and has to keep cashing to stay there. They have the lightest schedule of the chasers, with $12,500 added between their two rodeos this week.
- Pasadena: Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m.
- Amarillo: Saturday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m.
- 377 Last Hoorah: Sept. 30
Clint Summers (No. 18) / Jade Corkill (No. 20)
What they need: Summers is $1,210 behind Graham and $13,432 short of the projection. Corkill is $8,505 back and needs more than a Last Hoorah aggregate win.
- Bakersfield: Friday, Sept. 25, slack, 7:30 p.m.
- Poway: Saturday, Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m.
- San Bernardino: Sunday, Sept. 27, 6 p.m.
- 377 Last Hoorah: Sept. 30
Coy Rahlmann (No. 19) / Logan Medlin (No. 19)
What they need: Rahlmann is $2,172 behind Graham and $14,394 short of the projection. Medlin is $8,501 back and, like Corkill, needs more than the aggregate win.
- Poway: Saturday, Sept. 26, 1 p.m.
- San Bernardino: Sunday, Sept. 27, 6 p.m.
- 377 Last Hoorah: Sept. 30
Derrick Begay (No. 9) / Colter Todd (No. 16)
What they need: Todd is the closest heeler outside the line, $4,239 behind Dillon Graham. He missed Sioux Falls by 12 points, and Begay ropes there with Douglas Rich. Todd’s one run with Begay before Sioux Falls starts is Amarillo’s Thursday slack. At the Last Hoorah, fourth in the aggregate would pass Graham today. A round win alone would leave him $44 short.
- Amarillo: Thursday, Sept. 24, slack, 8 a.m.
- Mona: Friday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m.
- Poway: Saturday, Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m.
- San Bernardino: Sunday, Sept. 27, 6 p.m.
- 377 Last Hoorah: Sept. 30
Tanner Tomlinson (No. 4) / Wesley Thorp (No. 17)
What they need: Thorp is $6,221 back and has the fewest entries of anyone chasing. Tomlinson ropes Sioux Falls with Payne. Second in the Last Hoorah aggregate would pass Dillon Graham today.
- San Bernardino: Sunday, Sept. 27, 6 p.m.
- 377 Last Hoorah: Sept. 30
Cory Kidd V (No. 20) / Carson Johnson (No. 25)
What they need: Kidd is $7,069 back, and he is the only header outside the line going to Sioux Falls. Fourth in a performance and a semifinal exit pays $7,633, which would move him to $107,842 and past Graham, Wyatt, Hall, Summers and Rahlmann where they sit today. Johnson is $17,153 behind the heeling line.
- Governor’s Cup, Sioux Falls: Sept. 25-27
- San Bernardino: Saturday, Sept. 26, slack, 9 a.m.
- Poway: Saturday, Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m.
- 377 Last Hoorah: Sept. 30
Long shots
Luke Brown is No. 21 heading at $97,727, $9,551 back, and ropes Sioux Falls with Hunter Koch. Trent Vaught is No. 21 heeling at $104,526, $10,046 back, with the busiest week on the board: Pasadena, Stephenville, Amarillo, Poway, San Bernardino and the Last Hoorah with Cash Duty. Riley Minor is No. 23 heading at $97,526 and is entered at Mona, Poway, Bakersfield, San Bernardino and the Last Hoorah with Brady Minor.
Who’s in Sioux Falls
Qualifiers can rope only with another qualifier, so three teams are new. The field, according to Kaleb Driggers, the PRCA’s team roping contestant director:
- Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira
- James Arviso/Levi Lord
- Luke Brown/Hunter Koch
- Garrett Tonozzi/Trey Yates
- Tyler Tryan/Nicky Northcott
- Andrew Ward/Jake Long
- Cody Snow/Lane Mitchell
- Cory Kidd V/Carson Johnson
- Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham
- Tanner Tomlinson/Coleby Payne (new)
- Derrick Begay/Douglas Rich (new)
- Lightning Aguilera/Ross Ashford (new)
What nobody can see
Contestants are capped at 80 counting rodeos, and how many any man has used is not public. Two ropers sitting $517 apart can be in completely different positions depending on how many rodeos each has left.
Standings are unofficial. They start with the PRCA’s current official standings, which run through Sept. 14, and add posted payouts from rodeos that ended Sept. 15-20. Malibu’s results hadn’t posted. Pasadena, which runs through Sept. 25, isn’t included. Projected cut ranges are $117,000-$122,000 heading and $121,000-$126,000 heeling.