SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The focus this week has been on the first in a series of PBR 15/15 Bucking Battles featuring the top riders and bulls in the world.
 
But even this early in the season, the overall Built Ford Tough Series standings matter. In fact, there are 20 riders here who are keeping a close eye on them. For those riders, the next weeks could drastically affect the rest of the 2012 season.
 
The first BFTS cut, which will take place after next weekend's event in Baltimore, will cut the draw back from the Top 40 to the Top 35.

The first BFTS cut, which will take place after next weekend's event in Baltimore, will cut the draw back from the Top 40 to the Top 35.

From then on, only the Top 25 in the world standings will be guaranteed a spot in the draw.  The next five spots are secured by the Top 5 money earners from the Touring Pro Division who are not already ranked in the Top 25, and the final five spot in each BFTS event will be filled with injury exemptions and alternates.
 
Being cut is never easy, but it could prove especially devastating for those riders who don't already regularly compete at TPD events.
 
Of the 15 riders in Sacramento who are not currently inside the Top 25, eight finished the 2011 season by qualifying in the Top 40 for the PBR World Finals. However, riders like Dustin Elliott, Ben Jones and Colby Yates haven't regularly competed at TPD events, and if they find themselves on the wrong side of the cutoff mark, it could make for a long road back to the BFTS.
 
Eight riders this weekend - Beau Hill, Elliott, Elton Cide, Stormy Wing, Douglas Ferreira, Cody Campbell, Dusty Ephrom and Jones - are within two scores, or one score and a high place in a round average of the Top 25.

Ben Jones needs to work on more than his dancing moves to stay on the PBR's premier tour.

Yates and Elliott Jacoby are also looking to make a move in the next two weeks, and currently find themselves trailing by more points than they've scored in the first three events.

Colby Yates and Elliott Jacoby are also looking to make a move in the next two weeks, and currently find themselves trailing by more points than they've scored in the first three events.
 
Adding to the complexity is the fact that the last five riders in the Top 25 - Douglas Duncan, Harve Stewart, Paulo Lima, Ryan Dirteater and Cord McCoy - and the five right outside that mark, are all within 165.5 points of one another. 
Five alternates - Jared Farley, Kasey Hayes, Nic Lica, Jory Markiss and Josh Faircloth - have yet to score a qualified ride, and would need to qualify for the Built Ford Tough Championship Round in the Ariat Invitational to have any chance of making the cut in two weeks..
 
Injuries have created a few spots that might not have otherwise existed.
 
Robson Palermo and Skeeter Kingsolver have yet to compete this season, and four others - Pistol Robinson, Rubens Barbosa, Tyler Thomson and Reese Cates - have been injured since the start of the season.
 
Cuts, which ensure the development of young talent, take place after every fifth BFTS event throughout the season.