We haven’t seen Ken Roczen go up against Hunter Lawrence since the two settled the supercross championship on that epic night in Salt Lake City. They’ll meet again this Saturday, however, and this time Lawrence returns as the AMA Pro Motocross champ. Roczen, meanwhile, hasn’t raced since clinching the supercross title in May. Who’s going to come out on top when the two champs square up in Columbus? -Aaron Hansel 

Jorge Prado has been much, much better in 2026, and that includes his performance in supercross. Even so, he was rarely in the mix up front over the summer until the final three races when he and the team found an improved bike setting. He even won the finale with a perfect 1-1. With Prado rolling, will he be battling for wins, and even a championship in the upcoming SMX Playoffs? -Hansel

So far, we’ve only seen Haiden Deegan race a 450 in Pro Motocross. He was very good too, earning multiple podiums and finishing third overall in the championship behind the Lawrence brothers. Well, this weekend we’ll get a glimpse of how he looks on a 450 on a track that’s got some supercross flavor. It won’t be a full-on supercross track, there won’t be whoops, but it’ll still have plenty of supercross style elements. How will the #38 look on a big bike in the confines of a stadium? -Hansel

If you’re looking for a clear favorite in the 250 class you’d have to land on Cole Davies as the man to beat. He won the 250SX east region championship and the 250 AMA Pro Motocross championship, and you know he’s looking to complete the trifecta in these SMX Playoffs. Will someone stop him, or will we see more of Davies’ dominance in Columbus? -Hansel

It was a tough season of Pro Motocross for Levi Kitchen. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider held the red plate multiple times but just couldn’t seem to escape the black cloud that was following him around all summer. The good news is there’s still a third championship, and a whole lot of money, up for grabs. Can Kitchen shake off his summer sting and get back to his winning ways in Columbus? -Hansel

Chance Hymas took a while to get rolling this summer, but when he did he came on extremely strong. After winning a moto and taking second overall at Spring Creek, Hymas never finished off the overall box for the rest of the season and recorded an overall win at Budds Creek. Clearly, he’s on point right now, and it’s coming at the perfect time to compete for a title and a boatload of cash. If anyone is going to stop Davies, Hymas is definitely on the short list of riders who can do it. -Hansel

Julien Beaumer is another rider on the short list mentioned above. After missing all of supercross due to a burst fracture in his back, which is very serious, he came out swinging in Pro Motocross and was able to connect big with some podiums and a pair of overall wins. We know he’s good in supercross too, and with Beaumer fresh off a win at the Pro Motocross finale, the time is right for him to keep it rolling in Columbus. -Hansel

After Ironman, Eli Tomac announced he will be retiring after the SMX Playoffs. So, this is the last chance for fans to get to see the legend race. After a nasty get off at Fox Raceway Eli missed the next five rounds with a neck injury. His return at Spring Creek was a bit anticlimactic, but by the end of the Pro Motocross series he started showing flashes of his old self with a fourth in the first moto at Budds Creek and a fifth overall at Ironman. How will Eli fare at his farewell tour? -Sarah Whitmore

After breaking his collarbone at Southwick, Jo Shimoda, the 2025 SMX World Champion is set to return for the Playoff rounds. Jo won it last year after a very heated battle with Haiden Deegan. Will Jo be back up to speed at his first race back, to defend his title? Especially against guys who have been racing all summer? -Whitmore

SMX Next riders will be racing at the first two Playoff rounds (with WMX racing the finale). Fans have been watching these riders race all year with some great battles. Who will it be between Carson Wood, Landon Gibson, Ryder Malinoski, Vincent Wey, Kade Johnson, and others? -Whitmore

This round of the SMX Playoffs will be held earlier in the day with Race Day Live kicking off at 9 a.m. Eastern. With gate drops happening at 3 p.m. Eastern. Of course, you can watch it live on Peacock or the encore presentation on NBC on Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern. -Whitmore