.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend on a last-second field goal to notch college regulation football's 1st large distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a gain they'll be celebrating for many years to find. For the Combating Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To drop the home opener to a small university from a vastly poor event was an embarrassment for Notre Dame.Especially because they spent NIU $1.4 thousand to perform it.This shines an illumination on among the longest and also very most expensive traditions in university soccer: promise games. They are actually also gotten in touch with "amount of money activities," "paycheck games," or even, as I like to contact them, "purchase full weeks." A pricey (and unsafe) traditionFor many years, in the 1st couple of full weeks of the period, primary university soccer organizations have actually paid smaller institutions to come to play them in their house.In Week 1 alone, much more than $35 million was invested across at least 55 promise activities, depending on to Face Office Sports. Alabama created the largest check to its own challenger, Western side Kentucky, for a whopping $1.9 million. WKU dropped that game 63-- 0, but they perhaps hit the rely on the bus flight home and also probably will not think twice about it.In Full week 2, three colleges-- Western Michigan, Middle Tennessee, as well as Utah State-- obtained payouts much bigger than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped through a consolidated credit rating of 156-- 3, however they took home a total of $4.85 million in the process.It's normally a good deal for each groups. The small institutions acquire a salary, the big schools get an additional home activity to milk gameday revenue. The small school comes to play on the large stage as well as obtain nationwide exposure, the large one gets a cupcake on the schedule to begin the year in a sporting activity with no preseason. Therefore all's well and really good up until the minimal team makes a decision to reveal out and pull the trouble.