.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend break on a last-second basket to mark university football's first huge upset of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a gain they'll be actually commemorating for years to come. For the Fighting Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To shed the home opener to a little university coming from an extremely substandard conference was a humiliation for Notre Dame.Especially given that they paid NIU $1.4 million to carry out it.This radiates an illumination on some of the lengthiest as well as most pricey customs in college football: warranty activities. They are actually additionally contacted "amount of money activities," "paycheck video games," or, as I such as to contact all of them, "purchase weeks." A pricey (and risky) traditionFor decades, in the first few full weeks of the time, major university soccer establishments have actually paid smaller schools to follow to play all of them in their house.In Week 1 alone, more than $35 thousand was actually invested around at the very least 55 guarantee games, according to Front end Office Athletics. Alabama composed the biggest check to its opponent, Western Kentucky, for an immense $1.9 million. WKU shed that video game 63-- 0, however they most likely reached the count on the bus experience home and also very likely will not reconsider it.In Week 2, three colleges-- Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee, and also Utah State-- obtained payouts greater than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They shed through a mixed credit rating of 156-- 3, yet they took home an overall of $4.85 million in the process.It's commonly a bargain for each groups. The small institutions receive a paycheck, the huge schools receive another home game to milk gameday earnings. The tiny school reaches use the significant stage as well as acquire national exposure, the large one acquires a cupcake on the timetable to begin the year in a sport without preseason. So all's well and also really good until the minimal team chooses to show out as well as take the trouble.