The Aug. 24 cutoff for the Cinch Playoffs has come and gone and the field has been set for the showdown that will take place in Puyallup, Washington.

The Top 23 in points on each side—plus the NFR Open champions—make up the 24-team field heading to the Washington State Fair Sept. 10-13.

A reminder on how they got here: Playoff Series points are a separate race from the World Standings, built off finishes at designated Cinch Playoff rodeos throughout the year. They don’t add a dollar to anybody’s World Standings total. What they do is decide who gets access to Puyallup now, and eventually to the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls after the Sept. 21 cutoff.

Why the PRCA Playoff Series Matters to the 2026 NFR Team Roping Race

It is all still about money—the points just determine who has an invite to those two rodeos that have big money added.

 Headers: Who’s In

Heelers: Who’s In

Jake Smith and Nicky Northcott, who split the $16,000 NFR Open win together in July, don’t need the guaranteed spot that comes with that win. Both were already inside the Top 23 and have their spot in the Playoffs.

That means the NFR Open spot rolls down to the NFR Open runners-up, Garrett Tonozzi and Trey Yates. Yates was already sitting at No. 24 on the heel side, one spot outside the line, but with the NFR Open, he’s in for Puyallup. Tonozzi, who isn’t inside the Top 23 in header points, punches his ticket the same way.

Checking Back In on the Bubble Teams

Making Puyallup is the points question. Whether these teams actually need it is a money question—and the World Standings have moved plenty since we last checked in.

For reference, the Top 15 line currently sits at Clint Summers’ $89,684.89 on the heading side and Wyatt Cox’s $95,485.27 on the heeling side.

The two teams that split are the story here.

Denton Dunning sits No. 14 among heelers, while 2026 Resistol rookie contender Ketch Kelton—who held down the final heading spot when we first wrote about this race—has been passed and now sits at No. 17.

It’s the same situation in reverse for Summers and Corkill: Summers has moved up to the No. 15 heading spot, while Corkill sits four spots back at No. 19. Both teams now have one man in the money and one man out with a month of rodeo left, which is exactly the scenario that makes Puyallup—and the points won that got both of these teams into that field—worth something real in September.

Egusquiza and Flake have more room to breathe but not much, sitting inside the Top 15 on both sides. The Minors are close but still on the outside looking in, Riley one spot behind Summers and Brady further back at No. 20. Drake and Ross remain the longest shot of the pack, both sitting outside the Top 20.

What’s Left

The Puyallup cutoff is set, but the season is far from over. Points earned between now and Sept. 21 still count toward the eight automatic Governor’s Cup spots in Sioux Falls, and the Top 4 out of Puyallup itself punch their way into that field too. For everybody on the wrong side of the No. 23 line this week, that’s still the door left open.

World Standings as of Aug. 24, 2026

Headers

Heelers