.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend on a last-second field goal to mark university soccer's 1st huge distress of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a succeed they'll be commemorating for many years to come. For the Battling Irish, it is actually a season-crusher. To drop the home opener to a tiny college from a vastly inferior conference was a shame for Notre Dame.Especially since they paid for NIU $1.4 million to carry out it.This sparkles an illumination on some of the lengthiest and very most expensive heritages in college soccer: warranty activities. They're likewise gotten in touch with "amount of money activities," "salary games," or, as I just like to call all of them, "get weeks." A costly (and also unsafe) traditionFor years, in the first few full weeks of the time, significant college football organizations have actually spent smaller universities to find to play them in their house.In Full week 1 alone, greater than $35 million was actually invested throughout a minimum of 55 assurance games, according to Face Workplace Sports. Alabama composed the largest examination to its own enemy, Western Kentucky, for a massive $1.9 thousand. WKU dropped that video game 63-- 0, yet they most likely hit the bank on the bus adventure home as well as probably will not think twice about it.In Week 2, three colleges-- Western side Michigan, Middle Tennessee, as well as Utah State-- got payments larger than NIU's $1.4 thousand. They shed by a consolidated rating of 156-- 3, however they took home a total of $4.85 million in the process.It's generally a bargain for each groups. The tiny universities obtain a salary, the big universities obtain an additional home game to milk gameday revenue. The small college reaches use the significant phase and acquire national exposure, the significant one acquires a cupcake on the timetable to start the year in a sport with no preseason. So all's well as well as great till the smaller group makes a decision to present out and pull the trouble.