.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend break on a last-second basket to mark college football's initial major distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a gain they'll be actually celebrating for a long times to follow. For the Fighting Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To shed the home opener to a tiny college coming from a significantly poor event was actually an embarrassment for Notre Dame.Especially considering that they paid NIU $1.4 million to perform it.This shines a lighting on one of the lengthiest and most costly heritages in university volleyball: assurance games. They're likewise called "cash activities," "paycheck activities," or even, as I like to contact all of them, "purchase full weeks." A pricey (and also high-risk) traditionFor many years, in the first couple of weeks of the season, primary college soccer organizations have paid for smaller sized institutions to find to play them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, much more than $35 million was spent throughout at least 55 guarantee games, according to Front Workplace Sports. Alabama composed the greatest inspection to its opponent, Western Kentucky, for an immense $1.9 thousand. WKU lost that activity 63-- 0, however they perhaps reached the rely on the bus adventure home and most likely will not think twice about it.In Full week 2, three universities-- Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee, as well as Utah State-- got payouts greater than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped through a bundled credit rating of 156-- 3, however they took home a total of $4.85 million in the process.It's typically a deal for both groups. The small colleges obtain a paycheck, the major colleges obtain an additional home video game to milk gameday earnings. The tiny college reaches play on the huge stage as well as get nationwide direct exposure, the major one receives a dish on the timetable to begin the year in a sporting activity without preseason. So all's properly and really good up until the lower group decides to reveal out and also pull the upset.