.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend break on a last-second basket to scratch college football's initial huge trouble of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a succeed they'll be actually commemorating for several years ahead. For the Battling Irish, it's a season-crusher. To drop the home opener to a tiny institution from a vastly substandard association was actually an embarrassment for Notre Dame.Especially because they paid out NIU $1.4 million to perform it.This beams a light on one of the longest as well as most expensive traditions in college volleyball: promise activities. They are actually also contacted "funds video games," "salary video games," or, as I such as to phone them, "get weeks." An expensive (and also unsafe) traditionFor many years, in the initial couple of full weeks of the time, major university soccer institutions have spent smaller universities ahead to play them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, more than $35 million was actually devoted around at the very least 55 guarantee games, depending on to Front end Workplace Sports. Alabama created the most significant examination to its own opponent, Western side Kentucky, for a massive $1.9 million. WKU lost that video game 63-- 0, however they possibly struck the rely on the bus trip home and also probably won't hesitate about it.In Week 2, three schools-- Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee, and also Utah Condition-- received payments larger than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped through a bundled score of 156-- 3, however they take away a total amount of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's usually a deal for both staffs. The little institutions get a salary, the huge universities obtain yet another home game to milk gameday profits. The small college reaches use the big phase and acquire national visibility, the significant one obtains a dish on the routine to begin the year in a sport without any preseason. Thus all's effectively and excellent until the minimal group makes a decision to reveal out and also pull the trouble.