.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend break on a last-second field goal to notch university football's very first huge distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a gain they'll be actually commemorating for many years to find. For the Combating Irish, it's a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a small institution from an extremely substandard conference was actually an awkwardness for Notre Dame.Especially due to the fact that they paid NIU $1.4 million to carry out it.This radiates a light on among the longest as well as most costly traditions in university football: guarantee video games. They're likewise called "loan video games," "payday activities," or even, as I such as to contact all of them, "acquire weeks." An expensive (and high-risk) traditionFor years, in the 1st few full weeks of the season, significant college football institutions have paid for smaller sized universities to follow to play them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, much more than $35 million was devoted all over a minimum of 55 guarantee activities, depending on to Front Office Athletics. Alabama created the most significant check to its opponent, Western side Kentucky, for a monstrous $1.9 thousand. WKU dropped that activity 63-- 0, but they possibly reached the rely on the bus experience home and also very likely won't reconsider it.In Week 2, three schools-- Western side Michigan, Center Tennessee, and also Utah State-- acquired payments greater than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped through a combined rating of 156-- 3, but they took home a total amount of $4.85 million in the process.It's generally a good deal for both groups. The little colleges receive a paycheck, the significant universities acquire another home activity to milk gameday revenue. The little school reaches use the big stage and also receive nationwide visibility, the large one receives a cupcake on the schedule to begin the year in a sport without preseason. Therefore all's well and also great till the lower team makes a decision to present out and pull the upset.