.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend on a last-second basket to mark college football's first big upset of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a win they'll be celebrating for several years to come. For the Battling Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a tiny college from a significantly poor event was a discomfort for Notre Dame.Especially given that they paid NIU $1.4 million to do it.This sparkles a light on among the lengthiest and also very most expensive practices in university volleyball: promise games. They're likewise gotten in touch with "funds video games," "paycheck activities," or, as I such as to call all of them, "buy full weeks." An expensive (and unsafe) traditionFor many years, in the first few full weeks of the period, significant university soccer organizations have actually paid out much smaller universities to follow to play them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, greater than $35 thousand was devoted all over a minimum of 55 assurance games, according to Front end Workplace Sports. Alabama wrote the biggest examination to its enemy, Western Kentucky, for a monstrous $1.9 million. WKU shed that activity 63-- 0, however they most likely struck the trust the bus flight home as well as probably will not think twice about it.In Week 2, 3 universities-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, and also Utah Condition-- acquired payouts larger than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They lost by a bundled score of 156-- 3, but they took home a total amount of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's generally a bargain for both staffs. The small colleges obtain a payday, the huge colleges get one more home video game to milk gameday revenue. The small institution comes to use the large stage as well as get national visibility, the large one gets a dish on the schedule to begin the year in a sport without any preseason. Therefore all's effectively and excellent till the smaller group chooses to show out and also pull the trouble.