.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend on a last-second field goal to notch university football's 1st large distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a gain they'll be actually commemorating for years to come. For the Battling Irish, it's a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a little institution from a vastly inferior conference was actually a humiliation for Notre Dame.Especially considering that they paid NIU $1.4 thousand to do it.This beams a lighting on one of the longest and most pricey heritages in university soccer: promise games. They are actually also gotten in touch with "cash activities," "payday games," or even, as I like to phone them, "buy weeks." A pricey (and also unsafe) traditionFor decades, in the very first few weeks of the period, primary college football organizations have paid for smaller sized institutions to come to play all of them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, more than $35 million was invested throughout at least 55 assurance video games, depending on to Face Workplace Sports. Alabama composed the largest inspection to its own challenger, Western side Kentucky, for a tremendous $1.9 million. WKU lost that game 63-- 0, but they most likely attacked the count on the bus flight home and probably won't think twice about it.In Full week 2, 3 schools-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, as well as Utah Condition-- obtained payments much bigger than NIU's $1.4 million. They lost through a bundled rating of 156-- 3, but they took home a total amount of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's usually a bargain for both staffs. The little universities acquire an income, the large colleges receive an additional home video game to milk gameday revenue. The tiny institution gets to play on the big stage and get national visibility, the large one acquires a cupcake on the routine to start the year in a sporting activity with no preseason. So all's properly and great till the smaller group chooses to present out and also pull the upset.