.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend break on a last-second basket to scratch college football's very first major trouble of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a win they'll be actually commemorating for a long times to follow. For the Fighting Irish, it's a season-crusher. To drop the home opener to a small institution coming from a significantly inferior event was actually a humiliation for Notre Dame.Especially given that they paid for NIU $1.4 million to accomplish it.This shines a light on among the lengthiest and most expensive heritages in university football: warranty activities. They are actually additionally gotten in touch with "amount of money activities," "payday games," or even, as I like to contact all of them, "buy weeks." An expensive (and high-risk) traditionFor many years, in the 1st few full weeks of the season, primary university volleyball institutions have actually paid out smaller colleges to come to play them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, greater than $35 million was actually devoted all over at the very least 55 guarantee activities, according to Front Office Sports. Alabama created the biggest check to its own opponent, Western Kentucky, for an immense $1.9 thousand. WKU shed that activity 63-- 0, but they most likely reached the rely on the bus trip home as well as very likely will not hesitate about it.In Full week 2, 3 colleges-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, and Utah Condition-- obtained payments larger than NIU's $1.4 million. They lost through a mixed score of 156-- 3, however they take away an overall of $4.85 million in the process.It's usually a good deal for each groups. The small institutions acquire a paycheck, the significant universities obtain one more home video game to dairy gameday earnings. The tiny school comes to play on the big phase and also acquire nationwide exposure, the major one gets a dish on the routine to start the year in a sporting activity with no preseason. Thus all's effectively and also excellent up until the lesser team makes a decision to present out as well as take the upset.