In a nutshell, Robson Palermo has the edge, but he can still be caught.

Round 3 Matchups

Event Leaders:

Robson Palermo on 265 Myspace:
This is a good bull to have in any round, and Palermo was 90 points on him in Uncasville, Conn., last season.

Ryan McConnel on Flashpoint:
This is a bull McConnel should be favored to ride every time. However, they met in Tampa, Fla., last season, and Flashpoint won that match. When I look at these matchups, McConnel is the hardest bull rider to make any kind of prediction about. He has the stats of an elite rider, but at any given event, he may or may not ride like it. You just about have to see his face to see which McConnel is there. If his facial expression looks like a kid who is about to pull a live frog out of his pocket and chase girls with it, he is going to ride well. If he wears the face of a kid who just fell in the creek, maybe not. Based on what he looked like last night, expect him to make the whistle here.

Austin Meier on 6724 Crackerjack:
It’s not clear what Meier saw in this bull, but it must be something he liked. Crackerjack has only been ridden once in 13 attempts, and that was by Mike Lee for 85 points in New York just a few weeks ago.

Riders with one score who are about to get another:

Stormy Wing on 452 Fully Loaded:
Wing is riding very well, and this bull is a very good draw. Wing should know this bull pretty well, because he was 90 points on him at a Touring Pro event in Denver about a year ago.

Guilherme Marchi on 90 Hypnotized:
Hypnotized should be better than what Marchi had last night, and this will likely earn him a spot in the short round.

J. B. Mauney on 20T Train Wreck:
This bull Cody Callaway, and he’s only been ridden one time in eight attempts, but that was for 88.5 points. He’s a good bull.

Harve Stewart on 288 RMEF Bugle:
This is a good matchup for Stewart. This bull is a good draw in any round.

Luke Snyder on 538 Larry the Cable Guy’s Smokey:
Smokey has been ridden 24 times in 35 attempts for an average of 87.25 points. That is the definition of a “money bull” at this level.

Justin Koon on 515 Buffalo Hump:
You may not have heard of Justin Koon before, but judging from last night’s performance, he did not come here just to fill in. He aims to win. He’s got a good bull here who will help him get there.

Valdiron de Oliveira on -0 Bootlegger:
This bull is kind of a weird one. If he can stay on his feet, he is awesome, but he’s fallen three times in his past 10 outs. He’s not throwing himself over – I believe he has just stumbled and slipped. There are bulls who fall a lot due to their bucking styles, but this is not one of them. If Bootlegger can keep his feet under him, Oliveira will likely place in the round here.

Ned Cross on R16 Check Out:
This bull is borderline short-go-quality sometimes. Cross rode him 7.2 seconds in Albuquerque, N.M., last season, and he will probably get the job done here. Last time Check Out was ridden, McConnel was 89.75 points on him at the World Cup in Las Vegas.

— by Slade Long
(Slade Long, PBR Web Developer and Statistician, has been crunching the numbers on bucking bulls for 12 years.)