.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend on a last-second field goal to scratch university soccer's very first major trouble of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a win they'll be actually celebrating for a long times to come. For the Combating Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To shed the home opener to a small university from a vastly inferior conference was actually an awkwardness for Notre Dame.Especially because they paid NIU $1.4 million to do it.This shines a lighting on some of the longest and most pricey heritages in college football: guarantee games. They're likewise contacted "cash video games," "salary video games," or, as I as if to call all of them, "acquire weeks." An expensive (and also high-risk) traditionFor decades, in the 1st handful of weeks of the period, significant college volleyball establishments have paid out smaller sized institutions to follow to play them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, greater than $35 thousand was invested throughout at least 55 guarantee games, according to Front end Office Athletics. Alabama created the greatest inspection to its own opponent, Western side Kentucky, for a massive $1.9 thousand. WKU lost that activity 63-- 0, however they possibly hit the bank on the bus trip home and likely will not reconsider it.In Week 2, 3 universities-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, and Utah Condition-- got payments larger than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped by a bundled score of 156-- 3, yet they take away a total amount of $4.85 million in the process.It's typically a good deal for both crews. The small institutions receive an income, the huge universities acquire yet another home activity to milk gameday revenue. The little college comes to play on the large stage and also acquire national exposure, the large one receives a dish on the routine to begin the year in a sport with no preseason. Thus all's effectively and really good up until the minimal group makes a decision to present out as well as pull the trouble.