.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend break on a last-second basket to notch college football's initial huge distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a succeed they'll be celebrating for several years ahead. For the Dealing with Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To drop the home opener to a small college coming from a greatly inferior conference was actually a humiliation for Notre Dame.Especially given that they paid out NIU $1.4 million to do it.This sparkles an illumination on some of the longest and also most expensive customs in university volleyball: assurance video games. They're also phoned "money games," "income activities," or even, as I like to call all of them, "purchase full weeks." A pricey (as well as risky) traditionFor decades, in the initial few full weeks of the period, major university football companies have actually spent smaller colleges to come to play them in their house.In Week 1 alone, much more than $35 million was actually devoted all over a minimum of 55 promise activities, according to Front Workplace Sports. Alabama composed the biggest check to its own enemy, Western side Kentucky, for an immense $1.9 million. WKU lost that video game 63-- 0, however they perhaps hit the rely on the bus flight home and most likely won't think twice about it.In Full week 2, 3 institutions-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, and also Utah State-- received payments greater than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They lost by a combined credit rating of 156-- 3, however they took home an overall of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's typically a bargain for both teams. The tiny institutions get a payday, the huge schools get one more home video game to dairy gameday earnings. The tiny college comes to use the big stage and also acquire national exposure, the major one receives a cupcake on the routine to start the year in a sporting activity without any preseason. So all's well and also great until the lesser team makes a decision to show out and also take the distress.