Great post. I think as a state school only a few can pull of using their full name and having it still be meaningful as a brand (i.e. Texas, Florida, Michigan). When you get out of the elite tier of brands, using a full state name is not unique (i.e. Washington, Nevada, Ohio). We have unique national name recognition with "UConn". How often on ESPN do they refer to us as "Connecticut"?....rarely. We definitely need to stick with the "UConn" branding since it is unique and easy to identify.
Also I think those folks that run the Delaware turnpike define the term "highway robbery"