.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend on a last-second field goal to notch college soccer's 1st huge upset of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a succeed they'll be commemorating for several years to find. For the Fighting Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To shed the home opener to a tiny college coming from a greatly poor association was a humiliation for Notre Dame.Especially due to the fact that they spent NIU $1.4 thousand to carry out it.This beams a lighting on some of the lengthiest and also very most pricey traditions in university football: guarantee video games. They are actually additionally gotten in touch with "loan games," "paycheck games," or, as I just like to phone them, "buy weeks." An expensive (and also dangerous) traditionFor many years, in the very first couple of full weeks of the period, primary university volleyball companies have actually paid out smaller schools to find to play them in their house.In Week 1 alone, more than $35 million was devoted around at the very least 55 promise video games, depending on to Front Workplace Athletics. Alabama wrote the greatest inspection to its enemy, Western Kentucky, for an immense $1.9 million. WKU shed that game 63-- 0, yet they possibly struck the count on the bus adventure home and also most likely won't think twice about it.In Week 2, three institutions-- Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee, and also Utah Condition-- acquired payments bigger than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They dropped by a combined score of 156-- 3, however they took home a total amount of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's normally a bargain for both crews. The tiny universities get an income, the big universities receive yet another home activity to dairy gameday earnings. The tiny institution reaches use the large stage as well as obtain national visibility, the large one gets a dish on the schedule to start the year in a sporting activity with no preseason. Thus all's well and also great until the smaller group chooses to present out and pull the distress.