.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend on a last-second basket to notch university football's 1st big distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a succeed they'll be actually celebrating for many years to follow. For the Battling Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a little school coming from a greatly inferior conference was actually an embarrassment for Notre Dame.Especially since they spent NIU $1.4 million to perform it.This radiates a lighting on some of the lengthiest and also very most costly practices in university football: assurance activities. They are actually likewise phoned "cash activities," "income games," or, as I such as to call all of them, "get weeks." A costly (as well as dangerous) traditionFor many years, in the very first handful of full weeks of the period, primary college volleyball companies have actually paid out much smaller institutions to follow to play all of them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, greater than $35 thousand was invested across at least 55 promise video games, according to Front end Workplace Athletics. Alabama composed the largest examination to its own rival, Western Kentucky, for a tremendous $1.9 million. WKU lost that video game 63-- 0, yet they most likely reached the rely on the bus ride home and also probably will not reconsider it.In Week 2, 3 colleges-- Western side Michigan, Center Tennessee, and also Utah Condition-- received payouts bigger than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They lost by a bundled credit rating of 156-- 3, yet they take away a total of $4.85 million in the process.It's usually a good deal for both groups. The little colleges acquire a payday, the huge schools receive yet another home video game to milk gameday revenue. The small university comes to use the huge phase and receive nationwide visibility, the big one gets a cupcake on the schedule to begin the year in a sporting activity with no preseason. Therefore all's well and also good up until the lesser crew makes a decision to show out and also take the distress.