Virginia Tech Football: Ranking the Hardest Games of the 2015 Schedule

The Virginia Tech Hokies will kick off the 2015 season in exactly six months against defending national champion Ohio State in Blacksburg. The Hokies' shining moment from 2014 was their upset victory over the Buckeyes in Columbus. 

Things will be much more difficult in 2015. 

Last season, the Buckeyes were still dealing with the loss of star quarterback Braxton Miller. Freshman J.T. Barrett was making just his second career start and struggled. As the season wore on, Barrett became comfortable and thrived. But an injury in the regular-season finale against Michigan opened the door for yet another young quarterback, Cardale Jones, who was the primary catalyst in OSU's national championship run.

There's a good chance Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster won't even know which quarterback will line up under center for the Buckeyes on September 7. Perhaps all three could at different times. 

While Tech fans certainly have their calendars circled for the season opener against the defending champs, the 2015 season also has 11 more games. Here is a look at the Hokies' 2015 schedule, ranking the schedule from easiest to toughest. 

The Furman Paladins are Tech's only FCS opponent in 2015. The Paladins played one FBS opponent last season—South Carolina—and lost rather convincingly.

Tech plays Furman just five days after hosting the Buckeyes on Labor Day. Remember when the Hokies played Boise State on Labor Day five years ago and returned to Lane Stadium just five days later? VT suffered one of the more embarrassing losses in school history in going down to FCS James Madison at home. 

Don't expect that to happen in 2015, though. 

Head coach Darrell Hazell will be entering his third season at Purdue in 2015. After two seasons, Hazell is just 4-20. The Boilermakers were once a proud program under longtime coach Joe Tiller, but that seems so long ago.

Both quarterbacks return from last season's team. Rising junior Austin Appleby, a 6'5", 230-pounder with a big arm, played most of the snaps in 2014. Danny Etling, also a junior, is the more athletic of the two signal-callers. Neither will likely remind anyone of Drew Brees, Jim Everett or even Curtis Painter.

Yes, Curtis Painter.

Purdue should be better in 2015, and the Hokies can ill afford to look over a Boilermakers squad looking for its first signature victory in the Hazell era. 

The Hokies have won 11 in a row and 15 of 16 against their in-state rivals to the north. Even when Tech has been vulnerable, Virginia still hasn't taken the Hokies down. 

The Cavaliers looked poised to end that streak last season before a late touchdown sent Tech to its 22nd consecutive bowl appearance. UVa coach Mike London likely won't escape with his job after the 2015 season if he loses to Virginia Tech again. 

While the Hoos should be improved next season, do you still think they can beat VT?

The North Carolina State Wolfpack may be a bit down on this list, but don't mistake them for a weak opponent. Third-year coach Dave Doeren has the 'Pack headed in the right direction, and a big part of that is due to senior quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

Brissett, a former Florida transfer, had an outstanding 2014 season. He completed 60 percent of his passes and tossed 23 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He also ran for 529 yards and is one of the top returning quarterbacks in the ACC.

Foster has always found a way to rattle quarterbacks. Not only do the Hokies pressure the passer on a consistent basis every year, but Brissett was sacked 29 times in 2014.

The game being held in Lane Stadium will benefit the Hokies in a major way. 

How could a team that beat Virginia Tech last season be so far down on the list? This isn't going to be the same East Carolina team that beat the Hokies last September.

The Pirates lost a boatload of talent. Record-setting quarterback Shane Carden and receiver Justin Hardy are both gone. They combined to be one of the most potent duos in all of college football over the last three years. Also, former offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley—one of the best young offensive minds in the game—left for the same position at Oklahoma. 

ECU will be tough, but the Hokies are returning too much talent to lose to the Pirates in back-to-back years. 

The North Carolina Tar Heels are one of the most talented teams in the ACC on an annual basis. But where does that get them?

Usually, the Heels float just above the .500 mark each year and do just enough to make a bowl appearance. UNC recruits well, but that doesn't always translate to the field. Since Virginia Tech entered the ACC in 2004, the Hokies are 9-2 against North Carolina.

Like NC State with Brissett, UNC returns a good senior quarterback in Marquise Williams. Williams has had some good performances against the Hokies in his career; however, winning in Lane Stadium in 2015 will be difficult for Williams and the Heels. 

It seems like Virginia Tech travels to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, every year. The Hokies have traveled north to face Boston College more in recent years than any other road trip. Tech has made the trip to Massachusetts in three of the past five years and will travel there this season, too. 

Fortunately for Tech, Boston College quarterback Tyler Murphy will no longer be under center for the Eagles. Murphy torched the Hokies last season, passing for two touchdowns and rushing for 127 yards and another score in the BC win.

While Murphy is gone, winning at Boston College will be tough. It always is. Dating back to their days as rivals in the Big East, Tech is 7-4 in Chestnut Hill. The Eagles have won three of the past five meetings at home and two in a row overall in the series.

Expect another tough battle that will go down to the wire. 

Virginia Tech is 14-8 overall against Duke on the gridiron. Since entering the ACC in 2004, Tech is 10-1 against the Blue Devils, though. 

Duke's lone win came in 2013 after four Virginia Tech interceptions. The Hokies exacted a bit of revenge last season, with a 17-16 win over the then-ranked Blue Devils in Durham.

While Tech used to win this game with ease, that's no longer the case. Duke coach David Cutcliffe has made the Devils viable on the gridiron again. 

Much like Boston College, the Pitt Panthers have given the Hokies fits in recent years. Last season, Pitt defeated Tech 21-16, behind 242 yards rushing. 

While VT leads the overall series, 8-6, Pitt has won five of the six previous meetings between the two schools. New Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi will bring a hard-nosed approach to the Steel City. He was arguably the nation's top defensive coordinator over the last few seasons at Michigan State. Foster, of course, would have something to say about that.

Each of the players who hurt the Hokies last season all return in 2015. Quarterback Chad Voytik, stud running back James Conner and receiver Tyler Boyd look to make life difficult for Tech again—this time in Blacksburg.

Georgia Tech's triple-option offense is dynamic if it has the right players. Behind quarterback Justin Thomas, the Yellow Jackets have the perfect trigger man for their offense. 

Last season, the Jackets escaped Blacksburg with a 27-24 victory. Now, the Hokies must travel down to Atlanta on a Thursday night in mid-November. Like the Miami game, this should have big implications for the Coastal Division. 

The Yellow Jackets have been tough on VT since the Hokies came into the ACC. While the Hokies lead the series, 8-4, these games usually come down to the fourth quarter. Expect that kind of game again in 2015. 

The Miami Hurricanes have been Virginia Tech's top rival over the previous 20 years. In the last years of the Big East, the Virginia Tech-Miami game generally determined the Big East champion.

That hasn't necessarily carried over to the ACC yet. The Hokies dominated the Coastal Division for several years but have struggled the last three seasons. Miami has yet to take advantage of Tech's struggles, though. 

Miami finally has a quarterback in rising sophomore Brad Kaaya. Kaaya had a terrific freshman campaign last season and led Miami to a 30-6 win over the Hokies in Blacksburg. That loss was arguably the lowest point of the 2014 season for Virginia Tech. 

This season, Tech travels down to Miami in a game that could determine the ACC Coastal Division champion. 

Could Virginia Tech pull off another shocker and beat Ohio State for the second consecutive year?

There are plenty of reasons for hope. Tech returns most of last season's team that upset the Buckeyes in Columbus. Likewise, though, OSU returns the majority of last season's team, which won the national title. 

VT must get another standout performance from its defense and rattle Ohio State's QBs. 

Regardless, there's no disputing that Ohio State is the toughest team on Virginia Tech's schedule in 2015.