.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend on a last-second field goal to notch university football's 1st big upset of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a gain they'll be celebrating for several years to follow. For the Battling Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To shed the home opener to a little university coming from an extremely poor conference was actually a discomfort for Notre Dame.Especially because they paid for NIU $1.4 million to carry out it.This radiates an illumination on among the lengthiest and also very most costly customs in university football: warranty video games. They are actually likewise contacted "amount of money video games," "income games," or, as I like to phone all of them, "purchase full weeks." A pricey (and also high-risk) traditionFor decades, in the initial couple of weeks of the time, primary university soccer organizations have paid out much smaller institutions to come to play them in their house.In Week 1 alone, much more than $35 thousand was actually spent around at the very least 55 guarantee video games, depending on to Front end Office Sports. Alabama wrote the largest examination to its own enemy, Western side Kentucky, for an immense $1.9 thousand. WKU lost that game 63-- 0, however they most likely attacked the count on the bus flight home and very likely won't reconsider it.In Full week 2, three colleges-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, as well as Utah State-- received payouts bigger than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They dropped through a consolidated score of 156-- 3, but they took home a total of $4.85 million in the process.It's commonly a bargain for each groups. The tiny institutions obtain a paycheck, the huge universities receive yet another home video game to dairy gameday revenue. The small university reaches play on the significant stage and also acquire nationwide direct exposure, the major one gets a cupcake on the timetable to start the year in a sport with no preseason. Therefore all's well and also really good till the lower staff chooses to show out and take the distress.