.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend break on a last-second field goal to scratch university regulation football's initial big trouble of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a succeed they'll be actually commemorating for a long times to find. For the Dealing with Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a little institution coming from a greatly substandard event was a discomfort for Notre Dame.Especially due to the fact that they paid out NIU $1.4 million to do it.This sparkles an illumination on among the longest and most pricey traditions in college soccer: warranty games. They're additionally phoned "funds activities," "payday games," or even, as I such as to phone all of them, "purchase weeks." A costly (and high-risk) traditionFor decades, in the initial handful of full weeks of the period, major university football institutions have actually paid for much smaller universities to find to play all of them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, greater than $35 million was actually spent around at least 55 warranty games, depending on to Front Workplace Athletics. Alabama composed the largest examination to its rival, Western side Kentucky, for an enormous $1.9 million. WKU shed that game 63-- 0, however they most likely attacked the rely on the bus experience home as well as probably won't hesitate about it.In Full week 2, 3 colleges-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, and Utah State-- acquired payments greater than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They dropped by a consolidated credit rating of 156-- 3, but they take away a total of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's usually a deal for both teams. The tiny schools obtain a paycheck, the huge colleges acquire yet another home game to milk gameday earnings. The tiny college reaches play on the large stage and receive nationwide direct exposure, the significant one gets a cupcake on the timetable to start the year in a sporting activity with no preseason. So all's effectively and really good till the lower staff decides to show out as well as take the trouble.