With the release of the official 2014 NFR contestant list, it's time to take a look at the individual cowboys competing for their shot at prize money, glory and a World Champion title in saddle bronc riding. The top fifteen contestants in each event qualify for the National Finals Rodeo. Contestants are ranked in this list from first to fifteenth, but this ranking is sure to change as the ten nights of the National Finals Rodeo play out.

Two champions will be crowned in each event at the conclusion of the NFR: the average winner, who earns the best cumulative score or time for the duration of the rodeo, and the world champion, who finishes the season with the most money. Sometimes these titles go to the same person.

Be sure to check out the full list and stats for the 105 saddle broncs that have been selected for the NFR as well.

Rodeo.About.Com's Pick for World Champion: Jacobs Crawley
Why: Crawley's consistency can't be ruled out among these top 15 cowboys--at the 2013 NFR, Crawley was one of only two cowboys to ride all 10 of his broncs. That kind of consistency combined with Crawley's standout 2014 season (he won the National Circuit Finals in the spring and ended his season with the All-American ProRodeo Championship) will give this cowboy a big boost of confidence and hopefully spur him right to the top of the standings. He's starting from the fourth-place position and definitely has ground to make up, but he's the right rider for the job.

Taos Muncy
Corona, New Mexico
2014 earnings: $126,878.80
Taos Muncy made history in 2007 when he became the third cowboy to win a world championship the same year he won a college title, at the young age of 20. He won the NFR again in 2011, and has attended every year save 2008 when he was out of commission with a broken leg and missed qualification. Muncy finished his regular season with a win at the Justin Boots Championship in Omaha, putting him comfortably into the first-place position for starting out in Las Vegas.

Cody Wright
Milford, Utah
2014 earnings: $111,084.97
The eldest brother of the Wright family of saddle bronc riders, Cody is the oldest competitor in this event at the NFR at the age of 35. He's qualified for the NFR every year for 12 years, and has won the championship in 2008 and 2010. Wright is keeping the saddle bronc dynasty alive in his own family as his son Rusty will be bringing home the Rookie of the Year award this year in this event. With a total of four Wrights in the saddle bronc this year, chances are good that one or all of them will be bringing home buckles from various go-rounds, the average, and maybe even the world championship.

Cort Scheer
Elsemere, Nebraska
2014 earnings: $102,413.24
Few cowboys are as consistent as Cort Scheer, who finished 2013 in second place. According to the PRCA statistics, Scheer has only been bucked off once in seventy rides this season. Last year at the NFR, he and average champion Jacobs Crawley were the only two cowboys to ride all ten of their horses. Scheer has won eight rodeos this season, the biggest of which was the Pendleton Round-Up in Oregon. If his reputation holds true at the NFR, he should be a major contender.

Heith DeMoss
Heflin, Louisiana
$92,574.15
Heith DeMoss has had one of the best seasons of his career so far, which has been keeping him smiling. DeMoss is known for his big smile and overall enthusiasm about saddle bronc riding, even though his past five NFR appearances haven't been much to write home about. The highest DeMoss has placed is tenth, even though he's never left Las Vegas with empty pockets. However, this year he's won sixteen rodeos and has been training hard with his older brother Cody, also qualified for the NFR, and perhaps his luck will change.

Jacobs Crawley
Stephenville, Texas
2014 earnings: $88,728.51
Jacobs Crawley is coming into the 2014 NFR riding high on some major 2014 victories: he won the National Circuit Finals Rodeo in March based on his 2013 season, and also won the All-American ProRodeo Finals in October. He's qualified for four NFR trips in a row and won the average last year, distinctive in being one of only two cowboys to ride all ten of his draws. He is also a past college champion in saddle bronc; he graduated with a degree in industrial and systems engineering.