.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend on a last-second field goal to notch college regulation football's first significant distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a gain they'll be actually commemorating for many years to follow. For the Dealing with Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a little school from a vastly substandard conference was actually a humiliation for Notre Dame.Especially because they spent NIU $1.4 million to accomplish it.This radiates an illumination on among the lengthiest and most costly traditions in college volleyball: assurance video games. They are actually likewise phoned "cash activities," "payday video games," or even, as I such as to phone all of them, "buy weeks." A costly (as well as high-risk) traditionFor decades, in the initial couple of full weeks of the period, significant university soccer companies have actually paid for smaller schools ahead to play all of them in their house.In Week 1 alone, greater than $35 thousand was invested across at least 55 guarantee video games, according to Front Workplace Sports. Alabama composed the most significant check to its own enemy, Western side Kentucky, for a monstrous $1.9 million. WKU lost that game 63-- 0, however they possibly attacked the bank on the bus trip home and also probably won't reconsider it.In Full week 2, 3 schools-- Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee, and also Utah Condition-- obtained payments larger than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They shed by a consolidated score of 156-- 3, however they took home a total of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's typically a good deal for each staffs. The small schools acquire a paycheck, the significant colleges acquire yet another home game to dairy gameday income. The small college gets to use the large phase and also get nationwide direct exposure, the big one gets a cupcake on the schedule to start the year in a sport without preseason. So all's properly as well as good up until the minimal staff decides to reveal out as well as take the distress.