The TV series that came after the series Breaking Away was filmed here. This was a big deal when I was in fourth grade. There isn't really the divide of the people who don't go to college vs. those who do here. Athens considers "townies" what other places would call "hipsters". They may or may not go to college. Downtown is small, but there is definitely one side which is more fraternity/sorority and one side which is not that.
The Rothlisberger thing was Milledgeville, GA which is town with a much smaller college and population.