.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend on a last-second basket to mark college football's 1st huge distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a succeed they'll be actually celebrating for many years to find. For the Battling Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To shed the home opener to a small institution from a vastly substandard conference was actually an awkwardness for Notre Dame.Especially since they paid NIU $1.4 million to accomplish it.This beams a lighting on some of the longest as well as very most expensive heritages in university football: warranty video games. They're likewise gotten in touch with "money activities," "paycheck games," or, as I such as to phone all of them, "buy full weeks." A costly (and also high-risk) traditionFor many years, in the first handful of full weeks of the period, significant university volleyball establishments have actually paid for smaller sized universities to follow to play them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, greater than $35 thousand was actually devoted throughout a minimum of 55 warranty video games, depending on to Front end Office Athletics. Alabama created the most significant check to its own enemy, Western Kentucky, for an immense $1.9 million. WKU lost that activity 63-- 0, however they possibly struck the count on the bus ride home as well as likely will not think twice about it.In Week 2, 3 colleges-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, as well as Utah Condition-- received payments bigger than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They dropped by a combined credit rating of 156-- 3, yet they take away an overall of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's normally a good deal for each crews. The little institutions acquire a salary, the huge colleges get yet another home game to dairy gameday income. The little institution gets to use the significant stage and also get nationwide visibility, the significant one acquires a dish on the schedule to start the year in a sport with no preseason. Therefore all's well and also excellent up until the smaller crew makes a decision to present out and pull the trouble.