.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend break on a last-second field goal to notch university regulation football's very first large trouble of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a succeed they'll be commemorating for a long times to find. For the Combating Irish, it's a season-crusher. To drop the home opener to a small school from a significantly substandard conference was actually an awkwardness for Notre Dame.Especially since they spent NIU $1.4 million to perform it.This sparkles an illumination on one of the lengthiest as well as most costly practices in college football: guarantee games. They are actually also phoned "money games," "paycheck video games," or even, as I as if to contact all of them, "get weeks." An expensive (and high-risk) traditionFor decades, in the 1st couple of weeks of the time, major college volleyball companies have actually paid smaller schools to find to play all of them in their house.In Week 1 alone, much more than $35 million was spent all over a minimum of 55 assurance video games, according to Face Office Sports. Alabama wrote the biggest check to its rival, Western Kentucky, for a massive $1.9 million. WKU shed that activity 63-- 0, but they most likely attacked the rely on the bus adventure home and very likely won't reconsider it.In Week 2, 3 schools-- Western side Michigan, Center Tennessee, as well as Utah Condition-- acquired payouts bigger than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped by a mixed credit rating of 156-- 3, however they take away a total of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's commonly a bargain for each teams. The little universities acquire a payday, the huge universities acquire yet another home video game to dairy gameday profits. The small school comes to play on the big stage and also acquire nationwide direct exposure, the major one acquires a dish on the routine to begin the year in a sporting activity without preseason. Thus all's properly and really good until the lesser group makes a decision to present out and also pull the upset.