.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend break on a last-second basket to scratch university football's first large trouble of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a gain they'll be commemorating for many years ahead. For the Combating Irish, it's a season-crusher. To drop the home opener to a tiny institution from a significantly poor association was actually a shame for Notre Dame.Especially since they paid for NIU $1.4 thousand to carry out it.This beams a lighting on one of the longest and very most costly traditions in college soccer: warranty activities. They're also called "money video games," "paycheck video games," or, as I such as to contact all of them, "purchase full weeks." A costly (and also unsafe) traditionFor decades, in the 1st handful of weeks of the season, significant college football companies have spent smaller sized colleges to follow to play all of them in their house.In Week 1 alone, greater than $35 million was spent across a minimum of 55 warranty activities, according to Front Office Sports. Alabama created the most significant examination to its own rival, Western Kentucky, for an enormous $1.9 thousand. WKU lost that game 63-- 0, but they most likely attacked the rely on the bus adventure home and very likely will not reconsider it.In Week 2, 3 colleges-- Western side Michigan, Center Tennessee, and also Utah State-- acquired payouts bigger than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They dropped through a consolidated score of 156-- 3, but they took home an overall of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's normally a deal for each groups. The little schools receive an income, the huge institutions acquire another home video game to milk gameday income. The little school gets to use the big stage and acquire national direct exposure, the huge one gets a cupcake on the timetable to start the year in a sport with no preseason. So all's properly and also good until the smaller crew chooses to present out and take the trouble.