.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend on a last-second basket to scratch college football's initial big distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a succeed they'll be actually celebrating for years to follow. For the Battling Irish, it's a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a tiny institution from a significantly poor event was actually an embarrassment for Notre Dame.Especially since they spent NIU $1.4 thousand to perform it.This shines a lighting on one of the lengthiest and also most pricey traditions in college football: assurance video games. They're also contacted "funds activities," "income games," or, as I just like to call them, "get full weeks." An expensive (and unsafe) traditionFor years, in the 1st handful of full weeks of the season, primary college soccer organizations have paid smaller institutions to come to play all of them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, greater than $35 thousand was spent across at the very least 55 promise video games, according to Front Office Athletics. Alabama wrote the biggest check to its opponent, Western side Kentucky, for a tremendous $1.9 million. WKU dropped that video game 63-- 0, but they probably struck the count on the bus ride home as well as likely will not hesitate about it.In Full week 2, three colleges-- Western side Michigan, Center Tennessee, and also Utah State-- obtained payouts greater than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped through a mixed rating of 156-- 3, but they take away a total amount of $4.85 million in the process.It's usually a good deal for both teams. The little universities obtain a payday, the large institutions obtain yet another home game to milk gameday revenue. The small institution reaches play on the big stage as well as get nationwide exposure, the huge one acquires a cupcake on the schedule to begin the year in a sport with no preseason. Therefore all's effectively and also great till the smaller crew makes a decision to show out and also draw the trouble.