Final 2008 Power Rankings

As the 2008 Elite Series comes down to its last two tournaments, all eyes are on the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. Not only do they decide who wins TTBAOY, but the first 36 spots automatically qualify for the Classic. We're going to keep daily track of the top five anglers as well as those on the bubble for the Bassmaster Classic and requalification for the 2009 Elite Series.

Bubble Boys
Bassmaster Classic | Elite Series qualification

More Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year
Complete standings | Complete guide to TTBAOY points distribution

Final 2008 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings
	RANK (MOVE)	ANGLER	POINTS BEHIND	COMMENT
	1 —	Kevin VanDam	2,691	On Day Two, KVD clinched his fourth Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year award after barely squeaking into the top-50 cut. On Day Three, KVD commented on how weird his day on the water was. It's not too often that you see KVD taking it easy on the water and trying to guide his co-angler to the Champion's Choice title. On Day Four, he was seen at the morning launch, relaxed and giving words of encouragement to Dean Rojas. It's good to be the TTBAOY.
	2 —	Todd Faircloth	-88	If there is one bright spot to the weekend, it's that Faircloth was able to hold on to second place. Now he can go out and buy $100,000 worth of comfort food and forget about final performance at Oneida. If this year is any indication, Faircloth will continue to have a bright future in bass fishing.
	3 —	Mike McClelland	-114	McClelland stays in third place after only catching 10 pounds, 7 ounces on Day Four at Oneida.
	4 —	Skeet Reese	-206	At least he's not shy about why he's fishing Oneida. "It's all about the Benjamins," he said on stage. Honesty can be refreshing … Is Reese represented by Drew Rosenhaus? Expect an Elite Series holdout next season.
	5 —	Alton Jones	-261	Unfortunately for Evers, defending Classic champ Alton Jones had other plans for the fifth spot in the TTBAOY rankings. 2008 has been a pretty impressive campaign for Jones, embracing the distractions from winning the Classic on a grueling 11-event Elite Series schedule.

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Bassmaster Classic Cut

There is no bigger tournament in bass fishing than the Bassmaster Classic, and 36 of the limited spots offered come from the Elite Series. We're watching the bubble boys to see who's in and who's out.

Notable movements on the Bassmaster Classic qualification bubble
	RANK (MOVE)	ANGLER	POINTS BEHIND	COMMENT
	34 —	Bernie Schultz	+25	Schultz cemented his place in the Classic with a near 14-pound bag on Day Three and finished the Champion's Choice in 10th place.
	35 —	Byron Velvick	+9	Velvick can thank other anglers around him for helping him move into the Classic qualification cut. The former Bachelor looks like he will be returning to the limelight come February.
	36 —	Greg Hackney	—	The Hack Attack showed a little of his ability to dodge bullets as he clings to the final Classic spot. He struggled on Day Three and fell to 30th at Oneida, but still was able to cling to the edge of Classic qualification and that is all that matters.
	37 —	Davy Hite	-9	Thanks in part to Rick Clunn falling out of the Classic, Hite moved up one spot. He is the first one out of the Classic, but due to double qualifiers, he will likely be fishing come February.
	38 —	Rick Clunn	-14	The man who holds the record for most Bassmaster Classics fished at 31 is currently on the outside looking in. The Zen Master will need extra karma to get over the disappointment of another Classic missed.
	39 —	Rick Morris	-15	A disappointing 96th place finish on Oneida is responsible for Morris' move out of the Classic. Just goes to show that the Elite Series' grueling, diverse schedule can be both a blessing and a heartbreaker.

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Elite Series Cut

Ask any of the anglers on the Elite Series and they'll tell you they are living their dream. But this is the most competitive league in all of bass fishing and only the top 84 anglers in the TTBAOY standings get an automatic invitation for 2009. We're watching the cut closely.

Movements on the Bassmaster Elite Series requalification bubble
	RANK (MOVE)	ANGLER	POINTS BEHIND	COMMENT
	82 —	Billy Brewer	+34	If he drops out of Elite Series qualification, he can look back at not catching a limit on Day Two as part of the reason. He does have some cushion, but some of the anglers behind him are still fishing at Oneida.
	83 —	Ben Matsubu	+6	Fortunately for Matsubu, he was able to hang in the Elite Series cut and has a spot next year on the Elite Series. Without a Wildcard this year (which Matsubu has won in the past) it makes qualifying that much more difficult.
	84 —	Mark Tyler	—	Clutch. Tyler will be back next year and he owes it to the strong performance at Oneida where he finished 35th.
	85 —	Todd Auten	-1	So close. That is what Auten will be thinking if he finishes one spot out of Elite Series requalification. No more wildcard means this could be it for him unless an angler above him falls tomorrow.
	86 —	Marty Robinson	-5	The Elite Series giveth and the Elite Series taketh away. So too does Oneida Lake. After only catching 11 pounds on Day Three, Robinson fell to 23rd and dropped out of the last spot for the 2009 Elite Series.