The battle for a place in the 2026 NFR team roping field is reaching a crucial point in the fourth quarter this weekend, Sept. 10-13, with the Cinch Playoff Series Finale in Puyallup setting the stage and the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls at the end of the month.
The top 23 teams in the PRCA Playoff Series standings and the NFR Open champions, or reserve champions in this year’s case, will duke it out for a purse of $77,000-added on both ends and for the chance to qualify for the Governor’s Cup.
All Things Cinch Playoffs
Puyallup Draw
Set 1 (Sept. 10-11)
- Brenten Hall & Wyatt Cox
- Derrick Begay & Colter Todd
- Tee McLeod & Landen Glenn
- Cody Snow & Lane Mitchell
- Luke Brown & Hunter Koch
- Clint Summers & Jade Corkill
- Dawson Graham & Dillion Graham
- Coy Rahlmann & Logan Medlin
- Jr. Dees / Coleby Payne
- Jake Smith & Douglas Rich
- James Arviso & Levi Lord
- Tyler Tryan & Nicky Northcott
Set 2 (Two performances Sept. 12)
- Dustin Egusquiza / JC Flake
- Cash Duty / Trent Vaught
- Korbin Rice / Cooper Freeman
- Coleman Proctor / Travis Graves
- Ketch Kelton / Denton Dunning
- Garrett Tonozzi / Trey Yates
- Lightning Aguilera / Kaden Profili
- Cory Kidd / Carson Johnson
- Brye Crites / Ross Ashford
- Tanner Tomlinson / Wesley Thorp
- Andrew Ward / Jake Long
- Kaleb Driggers / Junior Nogueira
Semifinals and Finals are Sunday, Sept. 13, at 1 p.m.
Puyallup Format
Puyallup will be two rounds, back-to-back, performance to performance. There will be two “sets” or “sections,” both comprised of 12 teams. Following the long rounds will be a top eight Semifinals, followed by a top four Finals.
The top four teams based on the average from each of the two sets will advance to the Semifinals on Sunday, Sept. 13. The top four teams from the Semifinals will advance to the Finals.
Puyallup Team Roping Payout
The Cinch Playoff Series in Puyallup has a purse of $77,000 on each side in the team roping. If a team were to win both performances in their set and the finals, they could walk away with $20,920 a man.
Payouts Per performance:
- 1st: $3,510 a man
- 2nd: $2,632,50
- 3rd: $1,755
- 4th: $877.50
Semifinals
- 1st-4th place: $0
- 5th: $1,600 a man
- 6th: $1,600
- 7th: $1,600
- 8th: $1,600
Finals:
- 1st: $13,900 a man
- 2nd: $10,550
- 3rd: $7,200
- 4th: $3,850
When is the Puyallup Rodeo?
The Cinch Playoff Series Finale heads to Puyallup, Washington, Sept. 10-13, 2026.
| Performances | |
| Sept. 10 (Set 1, Round 1) | 6:30 p.m. (PST) |
| Sept. 11 (Set 1, Round 2) | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 12 matinee (Set 2, Round 1) | 1:00 p.m. |
| Sept. 12 (Set 2, Round 2) | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 13 matinee (Semifinals + Finals) | 1:00 p.m. |
How does the PRCA Playoff Series work?
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. 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 Cinch Playoff Series. The Top 8 teams from the PRCA Playoff Series year-end standings and the Top 4 from Puyallup will earn a position into The Governor’s Cup.
The cutoff for Puyallup was Aug. 24, and the Sioux Falls cutoff is Sept. 21. These are the final Playoff Series rodeos:
- Lewiston, Idaho – Lewiston, Roundup – Sept. 10-12
- Pendleton, Oregon – Pendleton Round-Up – Sept. 16-19
- Mandan, North Dakota – Rough Rider Cup – Sept. 18-20
The Governor’s Cup takes place Sept. 25-27, and offers a payout across eight events of over $1 million. In the team roping, there is a purse of $166,667 per side.
Why does the PRCA Playoff Series matter??? Here’s the answer.
The close of the PRCA regular season is Sept. 30. That means that the following payouts, along with the PRCA stand-alone team roping jackpot happening the last day of the season in Stephenville, Texas, will hit during the final days of the season and it will be the deciding factor on who makes the National Finals Rodeo in December.
Whose season is at take in Puyallup?
With the way the standings are looking this year, whose season is at stake in Puyallup is a loaded question.
Coy Rahlmann and Logan Medlin have been dancing around the Top 20 all season long and find themselves in the No. 12 and No. 15 positions heading to the Cinch Playoffs. 2026’s leading Resistol Rookie header Ketch Kelton and partner Denton Dunning are in a flip-flopped scenario. Dunning is in a higher No. 9 spot on the heel side, but Kelton sits No. 13 on the head side heading to Puyallup, just a few hundred in front of fellow Puyallup qualifiers Clint Summers and Dawson Graham.
Speaking of Summers, he and Jade Corkill are also needing a good run at the Washington State Fair, with Summers sitting No. 14 and Corkill just outside in the No. 17 place. The Grahams, Dawson and Dillon, could use a few checks as well—Dawson is No. 15, Dillon is No. 12.
Some others in need of a good run are Brenten Hall and Wyatt Cox. Hall is currently sitting outside the Top 15 in the eighteenth position, while Cox is in the No. 16 on the heel side, both looking to make the trip to the Thomas & Mack as a team. Also on the list is Lane Mitchell, who moved to thirteenth on the heel side after he and Cody Snow placed at Ellensburg, with Snow in tenth. Same thing goes for Dustin Egusquiza and JC Flake, where Egusquiza sits No. 11 but Flake sits No. 14.
With how the standings have played out in the last month of the 2026 ProRodeo season, there are some teams who need the weekend to go well more than others.
For example, Derrick Begay has roped his way into the No. 17 spot heading to Puyallup, while his partner for most of the season Colter Todd is in the long-shot No. 27 position. Tanner Tomlinson may have a more comfortable spot towards the top of the list in the fifth spot, but his heeler since the spring Wesley Thorp now sits No. 20 after their Ellensburg win. Similarly, Trent Vaught is in for Puyallup along with his main run this year Cash Duty, but Duty sits No. 29 and Vaught has a bigger chance to sneak in sitting at No. 18.