Georgia senior middle linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who has been named to the Bronco Nagurski Award watch list — which goes to the nation's best defensive college football player — said heightened expectations for the Bulldogs haven't changed life too much near campus.

It's another matter in his tiny hometown of Hamlet, N.C.

"You've got more people watching you. We try to train hard, lift hard every day. It just changes a little bit, but not too much," he said of the daily grind in Athens. "Mom, dad, the whole community, especially when they see No. 1 ... back home I've got everybody wearing Georgia stuff. Even my godfather [Ralph Belk]. He's still a diehard Tar Heel fan, but he's wearing it."