The Rams have officially abandoned their ten-year stint in St. Louis and are now back in LA, causing a possible dilemma amongst SoCal football fans. Most fans have a team that they root for year in and year out, while others patrol fantasy lineups that make it impossible to root for any given team, as they may be facing an opposing player in a crucial, must-win matchup and any success that the team has only seems to hurt them. So with the addition of a new local team, what happens to the fans out there who prefer to root for the home team and now face a conflict as their options just doubled?

First things first, the history of the franchise is always an important factor when evaluating a team. The Rams were founded in 1937 in Cleveland, Ohio, but moved to Los Angeles in 1945 where they have played the bulk of their seasons. In 1995 the franchise shipped to St. Louis, only to reconnect with LA this past season. The Rams have a lifetime record of 544-547-21, which is a win percentage of 48.9%. Since their founding, the Rams have made 43 playoff appearances, and have won one Super Bowl and three championships (pro-football-reference.com).

The Chargers have had a shorter lifespan, but the entirety of which has been spent in Southern California. The Chargers were established in 1960 in Los Angeles, but moved to San Diego after only one season. The franchise has a career record of 425-426-11, a win percentage of 49.3%. In the team’s 57 seasons, they have made the playoffs 28 times and won 1 championship, but no Super Bowls (pro-football-reference.com).

Based on historical data, the franchises are split almost perfectly evenly, as the Rams’ slight edge in playoff success is counteracted by more opportunities, and a slightly worse overall record. With historical statistics providing little help, it seems appropriate to compare modern data.

Through week 10 of the NFL season, the Rams are currently 4-5, while the Chargers are 4-6, which, again, provides little help. In terms of point differential, the Rams have allowed 34 more points than they have scored, as opposed to the Chargers who have scored 14 more points than they have allowed. This puts a point in the Chargers column. When factoring difficulty of schedule, the Chargers are in what looks like the hardest division in the NFL, as three teams have 7 wins each, establishing tough regular season matchups for the Chargers. The Rams, however, are in a division that has been controlled thus far by the Seahawks, who still only have 6 wins, one less than any of the Chargers’ competitors in the AFC West. This is another point for the Chargers.

Though each have their pros and cons, the stats seem too close to call a definitive winner in the battle over SoCal, so it is now left up to the fans to decide how to choose. Some fans may hold super bowls in high esteem and feel like the Rams have had more success, while others may see wins and losses as the key factor, giving the Chargers a slight edge, or maybe some will decide based on which stadium is geographically closer to their house, but at this point, it is up to them to form an opinion of their own.