.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend break on a last-second basket to scratch college soccer's first big distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a win they'll be commemorating for many years to find. For the Battling Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a small school coming from a significantly substandard event was actually a shame for Notre Dame.Especially since they paid NIU $1.4 million to perform it.This radiates a lighting on among the lengthiest as well as very most expensive traditions in college football: promise activities. They're additionally gotten in touch with "amount of money activities," "salary games," or even, as I such as to phone all of them, "purchase full weeks." A costly (and also dangerous) traditionFor years, in the very first few full weeks of the period, primary university football establishments have actually spent smaller sized schools to find to play all of them in their house.In Week 1 alone, more than $35 million was invested across at the very least 55 assurance activities, depending on to Face Workplace Sports. Alabama created the biggest inspection to its own challenger, Western Kentucky, for a tremendous $1.9 thousand. WKU dropped that game 63-- 0, but they perhaps reached the bank on the bus adventure home and very likely will not think twice about it.In Full week 2, three schools-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, and Utah State-- received payouts much bigger than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped through a bundled score of 156-- 3, but they took home an overall of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's commonly a bargain for each crews. The little colleges acquire a paycheck, the huge universities receive yet another home video game to dairy gameday earnings. The tiny university gets to use the major stage and also get nationwide direct exposure, the large one receives a cupcake on the timetable to start the year in a sporting activity with no preseason. So all's effectively and great up until the smaller staff decides to present out and also draw the trouble.