.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend break on a last-second basket to mark college soccer's initial significant trouble of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a gain they'll be commemorating for years to find. For the Battling Irish, it's a season-crusher. To drop the home opener to a tiny college coming from a greatly poor conference was actually a humiliation for Notre Dame.Especially due to the fact that they paid NIU $1.4 million to carry out it.This sparkles an illumination on among the lengthiest as well as most costly practices in university football: warranty activities. They are actually additionally phoned "cash games," "payday games," or, as I such as to phone them, "purchase weeks." A costly (as well as risky) traditionFor many years, in the initial couple of weeks of the period, primary university soccer establishments have actually paid out much smaller colleges to come to play them in their house.In Week 1 alone, greater than $35 thousand was invested across at least 55 promise activities, depending on to Front end Office Athletics. Alabama created the largest examination to its own enemy, Western Kentucky, for a monstrous $1.9 million. WKU shed that game 63-- 0, but they perhaps reached the trust the bus experience home and likely won't think twice about it.In Full week 2, three colleges-- Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee, and Utah Condition-- acquired payouts larger than NIU's $1.4 million. They shed by a combined credit rating of 156-- 3, however they took home a total of $4.85 million in the process.It's usually a bargain for both teams. The tiny schools get a salary, the large schools obtain an additional home video game to dairy gameday income. The small school comes to play on the major phase and also get national direct exposure, the big one obtains a dish on the routine to begin the year in a sporting activity with no preseason. Thus all's effectively and great up until the smaller staff determines to present out and also take the distress.