For the 49ers, the future is now — for now, at least.

An hour from now, though, that could all change, with head coach Jim Harbaugh opting to go back to what appeared to have been working quite well for the Niners under center most of the past two seasons.

The future is represented by second-year pro Colin Kaepernick, whose stunning coming-out party in his first pro start on a national stage against the Bears last Monday night set the stage for arguably pro football’s most intriguing story line at the season’s three-quarters pole.

After leading the Niners’ offense to scores in its first four possessions, throwing one beautiful pass after another and playing pristine, mistake-free football in a 32-7 rout against one of the league’s most highly regarded defenses, Kaepernick was named the team’s starting QB for a second consecutive week against the Saints Sunday. He kept up the good work in the Superdome, registering a 90.6 passer rating while both throwing and running for a TD in a 31-21 victory.

But, as was the case leading up to the Bears game, Harbaugh went right down to the wire before making a final decision between Kaepernick and Alex Smith, whose concussion suffered in the Week 10 tie against the Rams led to his benching, despite a 20-5-1 record in his last 26 starts, a league-leading 70 percent completion percentage in 2012, a 104.1 passer rating and 25 completions in his last 27 passes.