Conference championships: Patriots, 49ers have the edge - in Facebook fans

Last week, Facebook's data editors provided maps examining Divisional Round rooting interests for every county in America based on team Facebook fans. For this weekend's conference championship games, Facebook has again analyzed each county in the United States to determine which teams America wants to advance to the Super Bowl.

Below are two maps, one each for the AFC Championship and NFC Championship. Facebook colored each county based on which team has more fans on the social network. Counties in which one team is dominant are shaded darker than counties in which it's a closer race.

The first map appears to indicate a close race in Facebook fans between the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos, who will compete in the AFC Championship on Sunday afternoon. But the Patriots tend to control more heavily populous areas, and the Broncos largely dominate less densely populated areas in the western part of the United States. Unsurprisingly, New England has nearly 4.5 million total likes on Facebook, while the Broncos have just over 2 million likes.

Meanwhile, your county's rooting interests in the NFC Championship depends on whether you live in the Pacific Northwest. While the Seahawks own the Northwest, the 49ers essentially control the rest of the United States.

Patriots vs. Broncos

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49ers vs. Seahawks

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