ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Aug. 30, 2006) — The Ellensburg, Wash., edition of Xtreme Bulls marks the beginning of do-or-die time for professional cowboys. Bull riders riding the bubble are desperately scrambling for a chance at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and the Dodge Ride Hard Xtreme Bulls Tour is the shortest, albeit not the easiest, route to a big payday.

It's not easy because of the lineup of bulls cowboys will face at the event where Xtreme Bulls was born. Rapid Fire Exchange and Spotted Jacket from the Flying Five string will appear in the short round. But most notably, Frank Beard's Bacca headlines the finals. He will be the last bull out, meaning he will be matched up against whoever scores the highest in the semifinal round.

For the past two year the cowboy who drew him won the event (Clint Craig in 2004 and Jarrod Ford in 2005). This means the odds favor him being a part of the championship for the third year in a row.

"I'll take him again," Ford said. "He's just a good bull that you're going to be close to 90 every time and if you do things right you'll ride him."

Mike Moore, the last cowboy to make the eight-second whistle aboard the bull echoed Ford's observations.

"That bull has been good for a long time," Moore said. "He's been the bull that a guy wants to get on. He may have lost a step over the years, but he still goes out there and just bucks. If he's in there, a guy dang sure wants to have him. Everybody is supposed to ride that bull."

There are a few other cowboys along with Ford and Moore who would love a chance at him and all for different reasons.

The first, of course, is Matt Austin.

All the other bull riders must feel a little like Jan Brady when she uttered her famous line, "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha&" In the same vein, Austin gets the lion's share of publicity and attention. But it's well deserved. He's leading the world and Xtreme Bulls standings again, recently rode War Dance and shows no signs of letting up. He has, however, not had the degree of success on the Xtreme Bulls Tour that he had last year. Odds are he'll strike again, and Ellensburg might be the place it happens.

Wesley Silcox is the next guy in line for a win on the Tour. How he has remained in the top five in the world all year and has not made headlines is a testament to how media-shy he is. He can ride bulls nonetheless and the match-ups in Ellensburg favor him.

Finally, there's Mo.

Moore has been steadily creeping back into the top 20 in the world. When he's healthy, the fall is his time. He is so clutch — especially with a Wrangler NFR berth on the line. Plus, when he rode Bacca last in Lewiston (Idaho) a year ago it was to the tune of 85 points.

"I'm going there with the same attitude I always do; I just want to win," he said. "This time of the year is crunch time. I'm healthy for a change, but I'm right back there on the bubble. I always seem to do good when the pressure's on, though. I just need to set my game up to make some things happen."

Bob Welch has covered rodeo for six years and in addition to writing for ESPN.com ProRodeo, is the managing editor of Spin to Win magazine and serves as an associate producer onsite for the Xtreme Bulls and Wrangler ProRodeo Tour telecasts. Welch lives with his wife, Kristen, and 2-year-old son, Tate, in Black Forest, Colo.