In Virginia tech football lore, there is no more authoritative figure than current head coach Frank Beamer.
He helped the Hokies transition from Independent status to the Big East, then to the ACC, and has been the head coach for nearly every big game in the school's history. So when he calls the upcoming matchup with Ohio State the most anticipated game in Lane Stadium history, it's not just hyperbole.
"We’ve had a lot of big games at Lane Stadium. The more you win, the more a game becomes important," Beamer said, via the Augusta Free Press. "So over the years, the last few years, we’ve had a lot of big games in there. But I think from an anticipation standpoint, it is big."
It will be only the third time the No. 1 ranked team comes to Blacksburg. The other two games occurred in 1992 and 2001, both wins for a Miami team who went on to play in the national championship game.
As you will see below, the Hurricanes are a fixture in Lane Stadium's biggest games. Yet, according to Beamer and several players, the crowd will be more fired up for Enter Sandman than ever before.
"Coach Beamer's talked about how it's going to be the best environment he's seen since he's been there in Lane Stadium, he's really excited about it, which in turn makes us really excited about it," quarterback Michael Brewer said, via The Key Play. "It's cool when we see him get all jacked up about it."
The entire program has made it a point to hype up this game. In the moment, though, it's easy to forget some of these other games:
Virginia at Virginia Tech, 1990
As an independent without much appeal at the time, most of the Hokies' big games came on the road. That all changed when they moved to the Big East in 1991.
The year prior, in their final game as an independent, Virginia Tech played host to Virginia in a rare nationally televised game at Lane Stadium. The Cavaliers were ranked No. 17 in the country and were three weeks removed from being the No. 1 team.
It was one of the few times in its history the Commonwealth Cup held such national importance. It also featured the largest crowd to see a football game in the state's history, at the time:
Boston College at Virginia Tech, 1999
Thanks to the exploits of freshman quarterback Michael Vick and Bud Foster's typically dominant defense, the undefeated Hokies had a chance to clinch a spot in the national championship game.
All they had to do was knock off the No. 22 Eagles, led by quarterback Tim Hasselbeck. Florida State and the Sugar Bowl awaited the Hokies after this rout:
Miami at Virginia Tech, 2001
The rise of the Virginia Tech program mirrored the precipitous fall of Miami's. Butch Davis helped the Hurricanes rise out of NCAA violation purgatory and return to national prominence by the turn of the century.
The 2000 matchup set the stage for an era of highly-anticipated contests – No. 3 Miami beat the No. 2 Hokies at the Orange Bowl. The following year, the Hurricanes came into Blacksburg as the No. 1 team in the country.
In addition to being one of the most anticipated games in Lane Stadium history, it also turned out to be one of the most painful home losses:
Miami at Virginia Tech, 2003
It took a couple years for the Hokies to exact their revenge. In a prime time duel against No. 2 Miami, No. 10 Virginia Tech spoiled the Hurricanes' dreams of a third-straight national championship appearance.
It was the final meeting between the two as members of the Big East:
Miami at Virginia Tech, 2005
Virginia Tech had one more prime time matchup with Miami before the Hurricanes began their current, inescapable tailspin.
According to a poll conducted on TechSideline.com, this was the second-most anticipated game in Lane Stadium behind this year's matchup with the Buckeyes. Unfortunately for the Hokies, this is also one of the most disappointing home results in program history:
