Oregon sports fans might feel stuck in the middle this week as a heated rivalry is renewed in the NFL playoffs.

On one side (to the north): the No. 1 seed Seattle Seahawks, back in the playoffs after a two-season absence and trying to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2014 season.

On the other side (to the south): the No. 6 seed San Francisco 49ers, a storied franchise with five Super Bowl victories but none since the 1995 season.

Then again, we’re talking about sports fans, so nearly everyone probably already has a long-standing allegiance to one team or the other.

When these NFC West rivals kick it off at 5 p.m. Saturday in a divisional playoff matchup at Lumen Field, will more Oregonians be rooting for Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks, or Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers?

Vote in our poll below to tell us which team you will be supporting. Are you among The 12s, or is it Bang Bang Niner Gang?

Many in Oregon root for the Seahawks because of proximity, since Seattle’s stadium sits only about 175 miles from downtown Portland. Maybe they remember fondly stars from Steve Largent to Shaun Alexander. They know about Beast Mode and Skittles, the Legion of Boom, the three Super Bowl appearances (and one victory) from the 2005 to 2014 seasons.

Others refuse to cheer for the Seahawks because that would mean supporting a team from Washington, and that is simply out of the question for so many fans of the Ducks, Beavers, Trail Blazers, Timbers and Thorns.

Many Oregonians got behind the 49ers decades ago — in the days of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott and Steve Young — and have hung with them ever since. Even among younger football fans, there are plenty across the state who identify with the red and gold of the 49ers.

We took a peek at some Google Trends data this week. Across the past five years, people in Oregon have searched for the Seahawks more often than for the 49ers, by margin of 55 percent to 45 percent. Over the past year, it was 57-43. But over the past 30 days, it was 52-48.

Clearly, there is strong interest and support for both the Seahawks and 49ers in Oregon. The teams split their first two meetings this season, and the stakes are higher for round 3 on Saturday night.

A berth in the NFC championship game will be on the line, and fans across Oregon will be watching and rooting.