re: Why LSU and not Louisiana State?

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I don't know why it happens, but there are a few schools that are just much better known by their initials than by their full names.

LSU, UCLA, SMU and TCU are probably the most extreme examples, but USC, BYU and UTEP are also probably better known by their initials than by their full names.

I think one reason why many schools named ___ State University aren't known as exclusively by their initials is that most states start with a letter that other states also start with, so it would be confusing. Is OSU Ohio State, Oklahoma State or Oregon State? MSU could be Michigan State, Mississippi State, etc. Even some schools in states that start with a unique letter, like Florida State, have other schools with the same initials (like Fresno State). While there is La Salle University that technically goes by LSU (and has purple and gold as their colors, by the way), there is really only one recognizable LSU.

Also, of course, Louisiana has more syllables than most states, so it makes saying the whole name more cumbersome, and there's no obvious or easy abbreviation for it in the spoken jargon (like there is for Pennsylvania or North Carolina). This may be part of the reason why UCLA and USC are also better known by their initials, although "Cal" is frequently used as an abbreviation of California and is used by UC-Berkeley. "Cal" is also used in an abbreviated form of USC (Southern Cal), but the school for whatever reasons (probably marketing brand-identification issues) discourages this and does not use it to identify itself.

In any event, it no longer matters why or how LSU came to be known almost exclusively by its initials. At this point, it only matters that LSU is far and away the most commonly used and widely recognized designation of our school. It's become a very visible brand and, therefore, it is beneficial to us to keep using it and promoting it.

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Cliffnotes?

Could have beem LMS.

Louisiana Military Seminary (the forerunner of Louisiana State University)

Maybe it should be "The Louisiana State University'.

same reason why it's unc, ou, byu, etc.

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sylabols

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This is why exactly. Don't want to oonfuse the fan base by making them say big words (or spelling them for that matter).

This shouldn't be a big issue. I mean, our school has to be called something for short--the name "Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College" is just too long to fit on any football helmet. In our case, "LSU" prevailed over previous attempts to shorten our school's name, such as "Louisiana" (until the 1920s) and "Old Lou" (until the 1940s). It just worked out that "LSU" ultimately got more usage.

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It's been "LSU" since before my parents went there, and that's long before ANY of us were born!

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well, maybe not ANY of us....

Brevity and Brand Value

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Because Louisiana State University has way to many s's for Lou Holts to pronounce...

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Cajun's couldn't spell Louisiana State, thus LSU was easier for them. It is what it is, which is the best acronym in college football.