Potential Hokies' Losses in 2015 Ranked by Rage Factor

At some point this year, the Hokies are probably going to lose a football game. If history is any indicator, every FBS team lost at least one game last year, and Virginia Tech has never finished the season with a stainless record in the modern college football era. But which game would cause the biggest freak out from Hokie fans if Virginia Tech lost? It all depends on what goes into your personal rage factor. It could be distaste for the other team's fan base or the unexpectedness of the loss. Here's my ranking of which games are mostly likely to result in us getting on This Week in Schadenfreude.

12. Ohio State

The Buckeyes could be higher on this list just because of the hype and eight months of build-up we've had. Losing here would be a big let-down, but c'mon, it's the defending national champion. Could we really have that much rage over a loss here?

11. Pittsburgh

At this point, I can't even be mad.

10. NC State

The Pack are probably the school in the ACC most similar to Virginia Tech, so there's not really any culture clash. They're also not in our division and aren't a downtrodden program. Losing to NC State would be disappointing, but it wouldn't bring out the torches and pitchforks like losing to other programs would.

9. North Carolina

This was the toughest one to rank. There's a lot of hate in our fan base for UNC because of how those blue bloods reacted when they "let us" into the league. Add in the recruiting aspect and a loss to UNC would send a lot of Hokies over the edge. But until UNC sheds its "sleeping giant" tag, it's here.

8. Boston College

I always hated losing to Boston College because I hated the idea of losing to a hockey school I thought we should pound. To make matters worse, I have never seen us beat BC in person. However, I've cooled on my personal dislike of BC because I like Addazio. As a fan of terrible early 2000s movies, I can't hate a guy who says 'dude' a lot.

7. Duke

Could be lower because they're good now. Could be higher because losing to Duke is still losing to Duke. It just depends on your perspective.

6. Miami

This used to be THE game on Virginia Tech's schedule. Now with the way things have gone for both programs, it no longer has the same meaning. It's still Miami, but the big-game vitriol that used to come with a loss to the Canes is now reserved for the next team on our list.

5. Georgia Tech

The Jackets could be lower because this is the best conference opponent on the schedule and a loss here wouldn't be completely unexpected. But this is the game that will most likely determine the winner of our division and it would be tough for the Hokies to make the ACC Championship Game if they drop this one. Rage on.

4. East Carolina

I can't wait for this series to end.

/Checks future schedules on HokieSports.com.

3. Purdue

I have Purdue this high because of where they fall on the schedule. If the Hokies are 1-1 going into this game, odds are we aren't going to really know what kind of team we have on our hands. A loss here would indicate that things aren't going to go according to plan. If the Hokies are somehow 2-0 and drop this one it would be the equivalent of the ECU loss that followed the big Ohio State win last year.

2. Furman

Once you've lost to an FCS team, can you really get that mad about losing to another one? I think at that point it drifts more into disappointment, like when your kid wrecks his third car that you footed the bill for.

1. Virginia

There is a laundry list of reasons why this is (and should be) No. 1 every year. It's our rival and failing to achieve victory would hinder our ability to point and laugh at the 'Hoos.