.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend break on a last-second field goal to notch university soccer's very first large distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a succeed they'll be celebrating for years to find. For the Fighting Irish, it's a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a tiny university from a greatly inferior event was a shame for Notre Dame.Especially due to the fact that they paid for NIU $1.4 thousand to do it.This radiates a light on one of the longest and also most expensive customs in university football: guarantee video games. They are actually also contacted "cash games," "income games," or, as I such as to call all of them, "get weeks." A costly (and risky) traditionFor years, in the first couple of full weeks of the period, major university soccer establishments have spent much smaller institutions ahead to play all of them in their house.In Week 1 alone, greater than $35 million was invested all over at the very least 55 promise games, according to Front Office Athletics. Alabama wrote the most significant inspection to its enemy, Western side Kentucky, for a monstrous $1.9 million. WKU shed that game 63-- 0, yet they possibly reached the trust the bus experience home as well as likely will not reconsider it.In Week 2, three universities-- Western side Michigan, Center Tennessee, and Utah State-- received payments much bigger than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They lost by a consolidated credit rating of 156-- 3, yet they take away a total of $4.85 million in the process.It's generally a good deal for each teams. The tiny universities get a paycheck, the huge universities receive another home activity to dairy gameday revenue. The tiny school gets to play on the big phase and also receive nationwide visibility, the huge one receives a cupcake on the timetable to begin the year in a sporting activity with no preseason. So all's effectively as well as good until the lesser crew determines to show out and also take the distress.