.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend on a last-second field goal to mark college football's 1st big distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a win they'll be commemorating for several years ahead. For the Dealing with Irish, it's a season-crusher. To drop the home opener to a little school from a vastly poor association was actually an embarrassment for Notre Dame.Especially given that they paid for NIU $1.4 thousand to do it.This radiates a lighting on one of the longest and also most costly customs in university soccer: assurance games. They're likewise phoned "amount of money activities," "payday video games," or, as I just like to call them, "acquire full weeks." A costly (and also risky) traditionFor decades, in the 1st few full weeks of the time, major college football establishments have actually paid out smaller schools ahead to play all of them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, greater than $35 thousand was actually spent throughout at the very least 55 guarantee activities, depending on to Front end Workplace Athletics. Alabama composed the biggest check to its rival, Western side Kentucky, for an immense $1.9 thousand. WKU lost that game 63-- 0, yet they possibly hit the rely on the bus adventure home and also very likely will not hesitate about it.In Full week 2, three schools-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, as well as Utah State-- obtained payouts larger than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped through a combined credit rating of 156-- 3, however they took home a total of $4.85 million in the process.It's generally a deal for both staffs. The small schools receive a salary, the significant colleges receive another home activity to dairy gameday profits. The little institution comes to use the huge stage and get nationwide exposure, the major one gets a dish on the schedule to begin the year in a sporting activity with no preseason. Therefore all's effectively as well as excellent until the lower staff makes a decision to reveal out as well as draw the distress.