Is J.B. Mauney geographically jinxed?

It's been 51 days since the 2008 season came to a close with the eighth and final round of the World Finals at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

For Guilherme Marchi, it's been 51 days in which he's been able to enjoy being the World Champion, but for J.B. Mauney it's been 51 days for the North Carolina native to dwell on how the Finals got away from him – especially after such a great start – and, more importantly, it's been 51 days for the 21-year-old to figure out what it's going to take to win his first PBR world title.

Mauney, who has hopes of taking the place of now-retired Justin McBride as the face of the PBR, will have his first opportunity this weekend in Baltimore, the highlight of which will be a Sunday afternoon broadcast on NBC.

But some question whether or not there's anything Mauney can do or, instead, if it's a matter of being geographically jinxed by the fact that he was born and raised in the southeast.

There have been 15 World Champions crowned since the formation of the PBR in 1994, nine of whom are Americans, and yet never has there been a champion from east of the Mississippi River.

Two-time winner Chris Shivers, who makes his home in Jonesville, LA, lives a mere 30 miles west of the Mighty Mississippi, and Jerome Davis, who won a PRCA title in 1995, had his illustrious career cut short before he ever had a chance to do the same as a PBR rider.

Mauney – who in the coming weeks has several national media opportunities – lives nearby and has long since looked to Davis as his mentor.

The young gun from tobacco road finished 2008 ranked second in the world – a year after finishing third – and while he covered right about 59 percent of his bulls, it wasn't until the second half of the season that Mauney started to ride with a noticeable amount of focus.

Until then, several veteran analysts ranging from Cody Lambert to Ty Murray and J.W. Hart talked openly about his lack of discipline and inconsistencies in covering.

If he rides anywhere near the way he did when he posted back-to-back event wins in Grand Rapids and Jacksonville, along with round wins in the first and second rounds of the World Finals and again in Round 4 and the short go, then both knocks ought to be a thing of the past.

As Hart said, just this morning, "He's had plenty of time to mature."

As of yet no rider has ever won back-to-back world titles, in which case, if history were to repeat itself, someone other than Marchi will win the $1 million bonus 10 months from now in Las Vegas.

Will that someone finally be Mauney?

That was the same question asked a year ago of Marchi, and we all know that the Brazilian, who has become a model of consistency for the past four years, answered with a resounding, "Yes."

Only time will tell, however, how Mauney will choose to answer the question(s) so many are now asking of him.

In any case, three days from now he'll have his first opportunity to compete along with the rest of the Top 45 riders in the world, and because in the past he's tended to ride his best when he's on top of the standings, it'll be important for him to cover three bulls this weekend in Baltimore.

The Baltimore Invitational will take place at the 1st Mariner Arena on Friday and Saturday with the event being nationally broadcast Saturday evening on Versus and Sunday afternoon on NBC.

In the meantime, the question of whether or not Mauney is geographically jinxed also remains unanswered.