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Barry Jacobs On ACC Team Records On SOTU Night!

By DBR Archives Jan 25, 2011, 3:08am EST

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Tonight President Obama makes his third State of the Union address, an early-year tradition dating to the start of the nation. Forty-one years before the advent of the ACC, Woodrow Wilson became the first president to actually go to Capitol Hill to deliver the address to a joint session of Congress. Most of his successors have made the journey annually ever since.

EXECUTIVE ACTION ACC Records on Same Date As State of the Union Address (Since 1992, 6 Games Against Nonconference Teams Included)
School	Total W-L	Republican W-L	Democrat W-L
BC	2-2*	2-0	0-2
C	1-2	0-2	1-0
D	3-1	1-1	2-0
FS	1-5	0-3	1-2
GT	4-5	3-3	1-2
M	1-1	0-0	1-1
Mia	1-2	1-2	0-0
NC	2-0	1-0	1-0
NS	0-2	0-1	0-1
V	3-2	3-1	0-1
VT	3-0	3-0	0-0
WF	5-2	2-2	3-0
	26-24	16-15	10-9
* Boston College beat N.C. State in 2004, prior to the Eagles' inclusion in the ACC.

These minor federal distractions once caused Triangle-area TV stations to show presidents on tape delay while ACC basketball games matching Duke, North Carolina and/or N.C. State were in progress. The ACC hasn't scheduled such a conflict in at least two decades, thereby sparing the TV folks from going with entertainment over substance.

Assuming they can tell which is which.

Two ACC games take place as accompaniment to the 2011 State of the Union address - N.C. State plays at Clemson at 7 PM, followed by Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech at 9, directly opposite the president.

Since 1992 N.C. State has played twice on the same night as a State of the Union speech, and lost both times, once either as a Democrat and a Republican addressed the nation. Clemson is 0-2 when teamed with a Republican's speech, and 1-0 with a Democrat like Obama at the lectern.

Georgia Tech is playing the same night as the presidential address for the 10th time in 20 years, more than any other ACC program. The Yellow Jackets broke even during Republican administrations (3-3), but lost two of three paired with Democrats.

Virginia Tech has played three times in sync with presidential check-ins, and got harmonious results each time. This is the Hokies' first opportunity to play the same night a Democrat speaks, however.

There is no set date for a State of the Union Address, although Tuesdays are customarily chosen. December speeches were abandoned once a 1933 constitutional amendment moved the opening of Congress to early January.

We decided to examine the record over the past 20 years. Since '92 the speeches have been presented as early as January 19 (Bill Clinton in 1999) and as late as February 24 (Barack Obama in 2009). That makes it tough to anticipate possible conflicts in scheduling. ACC teams play every Tuesday night in January and February this season.

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