Bushwacker is a four year old ABBI Classic bull, which means that to win the coveted Classic Championship, he has had to appear in mostly Classic competitions, which rarely are included in the BFTS events. There are those who believe that a bull should have to compete in a certain number of BFTS events to qualify for the Bucking Bull of the Year. As Jeff Robinson said, "It's bull of the year, not bull of the last three months."
A bull that has had limited BFTS exposure has four advantages:
- The title is awarded to the bull that has the highest score at the Finals, not the highest ranking for the whole year. That means that all the bulls enter the event on an equal footing.
- The riders have had few chances on him and they haven't seen him much.
- The judges haven't seen him much and it's human nature to be more wowed by a new wild guy than by a wild guy you've seen a million times.
- Because Bushwacker is a Classic bull and the Classic Finals are part of the PBR Finals, Bushwacker will only buck with the Classic bulls and will be scored side by side with them, not with the other contenders for Bucking Bull of the Year.
Bushwacker will win. There are a handful of other bulls that should win, and my pick from that litter is Major Payne. Others who have a very good shot are Bones and Uncle Buck.
As for Stock Contractor of the Year, Jeff Robinson is a shoo in. He has hauled more bulls farther and more consistently than anyone else. He's also got the rankest bull herd out there.
