.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend on a last-second field goal to notch college regulation football's initial large trouble of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a gain they'll be commemorating for years to come. For the Combating Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To drop the home opener to a small university coming from an extremely poor event was actually a discomfort for Notre Dame.Especially given that they paid for NIU $1.4 thousand to do it.This shines an illumination on one of the longest and most costly traditions in college football: warranty video games. They're likewise phoned "money games," "paycheck video games," or, as I just like to contact them, "get weeks." A pricey (and dangerous) traditionFor many years, in the 1st handful of full weeks of the season, significant university volleyball establishments have paid for much smaller universities to come to play them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, much more than $35 thousand was spent around a minimum of 55 assurance video games, depending on to Front Workplace Sports. Alabama created the most significant examination to its enemy, Western side Kentucky, for a whopping $1.9 million. WKU dropped that video game 63-- 0, yet they possibly attacked the trust the bus ride home and also likely won't think twice about it.In Week 2, three institutions-- Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee, and Utah Condition-- obtained payments larger than NIU's $1.4 million. They shed through a consolidated score of 156-- 3, however they took home an overall of $4.85 million in the process.It's commonly a deal for each crews. The little schools receive an income, the huge colleges get one more home game to milk gameday profits. The small university gets to use the major phase and also get nationwide direct exposure, the large one receives a dish on the timetable to start the year in a sporting activity without preseason. So all's effectively and good up until the lesser staff determines to show out as well as pull the trouble.