.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend break on a last-second basket to notch college regulation football's very first major distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a win they'll be commemorating for years ahead. For the Battling Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To shed the home opener to a little institution from a significantly inferior event was actually an awkwardness for Notre Dame.Especially considering that they paid NIU $1.4 million to accomplish it.This shines a lighting on one of the longest and most pricey heritages in university football: guarantee activities. They are actually likewise phoned "loan activities," "salary activities," or even, as I like to phone them, "buy weeks." A pricey (and unsafe) traditionFor decades, in the first few weeks of the season, significant college football companies have paid for smaller schools to follow to play them in their house.In Week 1 alone, much more than $35 million was actually spent around a minimum of 55 promise video games, according to Front Office Sports. Alabama wrote the greatest inspection to its challenger, Western side Kentucky, for a tremendous $1.9 million. WKU dropped that activity 63-- 0, but they perhaps hit the count on the bus adventure home and very likely won't reconsider it.In Week 2, three universities-- Western side Michigan, Center Tennessee, and also Utah Condition-- got payouts bigger than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped through a bundled credit rating of 156-- 3, yet they take away a total of $4.85 million in the process.It's normally a deal for both groups. The small universities acquire a payday, the major universities acquire one more home game to dairy gameday profits. The tiny college gets to use the significant phase as well as acquire national exposure, the big one acquires a cupcake on the timetable to begin the year in a sporting activity without any preseason. Thus all's well as well as good till the minimal group determines to present out and draw the trouble.