.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend break on a last-second field goal to mark college football's initial large distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a gain they'll be actually celebrating for a long times to come. For the Combating Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a tiny university coming from an extremely inferior association was actually a discomfort for Notre Dame.Especially given that they paid NIU $1.4 million to do it.This shines an illumination on among the lengthiest and very most costly heritages in college soccer: assurance video games. They're additionally contacted "funds video games," "salary activities," or even, as I such as to call all of them, "acquire weeks." An expensive (and dangerous) traditionFor years, in the very first couple of weeks of the season, major university volleyball companies have actually paid smaller universities ahead to play all of them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, greater than $35 million was devoted all over at least 55 guarantee video games, according to Front Workplace Athletics. Alabama composed the greatest examination to its own opponent, Western side Kentucky, for an immense $1.9 thousand. WKU dropped that activity 63-- 0, but they perhaps reached the bank on the bus experience home and most likely won't reconsider it.In Week 2, three colleges-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, and also Utah State-- got payouts much bigger than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They dropped through a consolidated credit rating of 156-- 3, but they took home an overall of $4.85 million in the process.It's usually a deal for both crews. The tiny institutions receive a paycheck, the significant colleges obtain one more home activity to dairy gameday profits. The tiny university reaches play on the huge phase and also obtain national direct exposure, the big one receives a cupcake on the routine to begin the year in a sporting activity with no preseason. Thus all's properly as well as good till the lesser group chooses to present out as well as pull the upset.