For me it goes back to high school. The 212 Conference had 8 teams along that highway. I knew a lot of people from the other towns through FFA, summer jobs, church, relatives........... When district playoffs came there were 7 other schools included in District 12. Those included some bigger towns like Hutchinson & Glencoe since there was only one class. So in that case I would usually pull for conference teams. No one sat there and chanted "212, 212, 212" but most conference players felt the same way.

I also have had the satisfaction of watching a particular conference player or coach who was a complete dick getting their just deserves. So it depends.