The countdown is on.

Two days of fast-paced, hoof-stompin’, bull-snortin’ action are about to take over the Wild West Arena in North Platte, and only a handful will come out on top.

The 2015 Rail Town U.S.A. College Rodeo is planned for Sept. 18-19. The best athletes in the Great Plains Region will be pitted against some of the rankest steers, broncs and bulls on the circuit.

It will be a battle of drive, endurance and skill, and the public’s invited to watch. Start times will be at 7 p.m. both nights.

“Friday night we will feature 20 bull riders, 10 at the beginning and 10 at the end, so people will want to get there early,” said Dustin Elliott, MPCC Rodeo Team rough stock coach. “There will also be 12 contestants in each of the other events. Saturday is the Top 10 short-round, so the best of the best will perform that night to decide the winners.”

The rodeo draws an average of 250-300 contestants from 12 colleges every year. It is a qualifying rodeo for the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, meaning points earned at the event count toward an end of the year shot at nationals.

The rodeo is scheduled every year in conjunction with Rail Fest, an annual railroad celebration in North Platte.

“I would encourage everyone to come out to the rodeo and support their college rodeo members,” said Elliott. “North Platte is definitely a rodeo town, and who knows? Spectators could be supporting the next generation of athletes who will compete at NEBRASKAland Days.”

He would love to see people who aren’t rodeo fans at the Wild West Arena as well. Elliott thinks they would have fun seeing a college twist put on the western lifestyle.

“Maybe your alma mater will be there, and you can cheer them on,” said Elliott.

Tickets for the rodeo are $10 for adults and $7 for children. They are available at the gate, at the NEBRASKAland Days office at the Wild West Arena, 2400 N. Buffalo Bill Ave., and online at nebrasakalanddays.com.

Other colleges in the Great Plains Region include Black Hills State University, Dickinson State University, Hastings College, Iowa Central Community College, Iowa State University, Mitchell Technical Institute, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, North Dakota State University, Northeast Iowa Community College, South Dakota State University, University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.