.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame last weekend break on a last-second field goal to mark college football's very first big upset of 2024. For the Huskies, it is actually a gain they'll be celebrating for several years to follow. For the Combating Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a tiny school coming from a significantly inferior event was an awkwardness for Notre Dame.Especially considering that they paid for NIU $1.4 thousand to accomplish it.This sparkles a lighting on some of the longest and very most expensive heritages in university soccer: promise activities. They are actually also called "loan activities," "paycheck video games," or, as I like to call all of them, "purchase weeks." A costly (and risky) traditionFor decades, in the very first couple of weeks of the season, major university football institutions have paid much smaller universities to find to play them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, much more than $35 million was devoted throughout at least 55 promise games, depending on to Front end Office Athletics. Alabama created the biggest examination to its own opponent, Western side Kentucky, for a tremendous $1.9 thousand. WKU dropped that game 63-- 0, however they possibly hit the rely on the bus experience home as well as probably won't think twice about it.In Week 2, three colleges-- Western Michigan, Center Tennessee, as well as Utah State-- acquired payments larger than NIU's $1.4 million. They shed through a mixed credit rating of 156-- 3, but they take away an overall of $4.85 million in the process.It's normally a deal for each groups. The tiny institutions obtain a payday, the huge institutions obtain another home game to dairy gameday income. The little university gets to use the huge phase as well as receive national exposure, the huge one obtains a cupcake on the timetable to start the year in a sport without any preseason. Thus all's well as well as good up until the smaller group chooses to show out and also draw the trouble.