Knowing Taos Muncy, his 2007 saddle bronc riding world championship might never sink in.

Just like he said his College National Finals Rodeo win in June wouldn't sink in.

Just like he said his Cheyenne Frontier Days win in July wouldn't sink in.

"It's kinda unreal, just like all the rest of 'em," Muncy said on Saturday after clinching the gold buckle at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. "You hope for it, you expect it sometimes � you know, you always have your goals � but I never seen it comin' this fast. It's real shocking to actually do well here."

"Do well" is an understatement.

Muncy, the 20-year-old wunderkind from Corona, N.M., finished second in the aggregate standings and shot from fourth in world standings to first as his three biggest competitors fell off.

For the first few days at Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center, Muncy was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the event. The bright lights, the 17,000-plus fans, the legendary field.

But he said, if anything, the memories of the CNFR at the Casper Events Center settled him down for the rest of the Finals. Winning the college championship gave Muncy some idea of the pressure that he'd find in Vegas.

"You try to qualify for the high school finals and then the college finals, and then you're on," said the Oklahoma Panhandle State cowboy, who won $91,755 in Las Vegas and $201,133 for the year. "It's a stepping stone � you get in that pressure situation at the CNFR, first."

Unlike Muncy, bull rider Ted Bert of Cal Poly-San Lois Obispo said that no other rodeos can compare to the Finals. Bert won the first go-round at the CNFR and ultimately finished ninth, but that was no match for the glitz and glamour of Sin City.

"None, honestly," Bert said of any comparison between the two events. "This is a whole different deal. Sure, any big rodeo's gonna prepare you for averages if you ride consistently. But I don't know if there is anything to prepare you for this.

"It's a different deal when you ride down that tunnel, I'll tell you."

Like Muncy, Bert found his jaw on the floor as he peered around the arena early in the week. Not that it affected him � Bert rode his first two bulls, collecting more than $15,000 and rode five for the week, finishing fourth in the aggregate standings.

Along with fellow NFR competitor, Steven Dent (Ranger College), who won $6,214 and $73,469 for the year, Muncy and Bert represent a new influx of talent into the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

These new cowboys have professional attitudes that come along with professional paychecks, 10 times what they made just 30 years ago.

"Rodeo has come a long way," calf roper Houston Hutto said. "The junior rodeos are getting bigger, the high school rodeos are getting bigger. You could easily say a new era is coming in."

Added five-time all-around champion Trevor Brazile: "I see a lot of talent come up, and I've seen a lot of guys who are more business-minded trying to get the job done. They try not to shorten their careers by acting ignorant. Shoot, if you don't do well in this business, then you have to get a real job."