.Northern Illinois stunned No. 5 Notre Dame final weekend on a last-second field goal to notch university soccer's first huge upset of 2024. For the Huskies, it's a win they'll be commemorating for a long times to come. For the Fighting Irish, it's a season-crusher. To lose the home opener to a small school coming from a significantly inferior association was an awkwardness for Notre Dame.Especially because they paid for NIU $1.4 thousand to carry out it.This shines a lighting on one of the longest and also most pricey heritages in college soccer: assurance video games. They're also called "cash video games," "income games," or, as I such as to contact all of them, "get full weeks." An expensive (and also high-risk) traditionFor years, in the 1st few weeks of the season, primary university football companies have paid for much smaller schools to come to play all of them in their house.In Week 1 alone, greater than $35 thousand was actually devoted all over at the very least 55 promise video games, according to Face Office Sports. Alabama created the most significant check to its opponent, Western side Kentucky, for a whopping $1.9 million. WKU lost that game 63-- 0, but they probably reached the trust the bus ride home and also most likely won't hesitate about it.In Week 2, 3 institutions-- Western side Michigan, Middle Tennessee, and also Utah Condition-- obtained payouts greater than NIU's $1.4 million. They dropped through a consolidated score of 156-- 3, yet they took home a total amount of $4.85 million in the process.It's normally a good deal for each teams. The little schools acquire an income, the significant universities obtain yet another home game to dairy gameday income. The small college gets to play on the significant stage and get national direct exposure, the major one gets a cupcake on the routine to start the year in a sporting activity without preseason. Thus all's well as well as great until the lesser staff decides to reveal out and draw the upset.