college teams at all.

Boston has a host of good college teams in various sports, and is arguably (at best) a college town (albeit a huge one).  But, Boston's identity is tied more to a school or two associated with academics rather than the sports of those schools.

Is Salt Lake City inexplibly tied in the minds of others with the Utes, or with the Jazz, or more of a Mormon place (even if not the majority)?

I'd suggest SLC, to the Utes' protestations, I'm sure, is not closely tied in the minds of others outside of Utah as a place of the Utah Utes.