.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend break on a last-second field goal to notch college football's 1st large upset of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a gain they'll be commemorating for several years to come. For the Dealing with Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a tiny school from a significantly substandard association was a humiliation for Notre Dame.Especially because they spent NIU $1.4 million to do it.This beams an illumination on among the longest and also most costly practices in university soccer: warranty games. They're additionally phoned "loan games," "salary video games," or, as I just like to contact all of them, "buy weeks." An expensive (and also high-risk) traditionFor years, in the initial couple of full weeks of the season, primary college soccer organizations have paid for much smaller schools to come to play them in their house.In Week 1 alone, greater than $35 thousand was invested across at least 55 promise games, depending on to Face Office Athletics. Alabama composed the largest examination to its rival, Western Kentucky, for an enormous $1.9 thousand. WKU shed that video game 63-- 0, yet they probably hit the bank on the bus trip home and also likely will not hesitate about it.In Week 2, three institutions-- Western side Michigan, Middle Tennessee, and also Utah State-- got payouts greater than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped by a consolidated rating of 156-- 3, yet they took home a total of $4.85 thousand in the process.It's normally a bargain for both teams. The little colleges receive a payday, the big universities acquire an additional home activity to dairy gameday income. The little university gets to play on the major stage as well as receive national visibility, the major one obtains a cupcake on the routine to start the year in a sport without preseason. Therefore all's properly and also good until the smaller staff makes a decision to show out and also take the upset.