Morning Kickoff: Crimson Tide News 12/3

Get your day started with the Morning Kickoff. All your Crimson Tide news in one place.

It’s was somewhat of a slow news day for Alabama Athletics yesterday. Not a whole lot of news directly involving the Crimson Tide, but there was still relevent news stories relating to the system (ahem, UAB) and the SEC Championship.

TCU moves back into CFP top four (ESPN)

"Alabama and Oregon remained No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Ohio State was ranked fifth andBaylor, which defeated TCU on Oct. 11, was sixth.TCU routed Texas, 48-10, this past Thursday to win its sixth straight. Florida State held off Florida, 24-19, in Will Muschamp’s final game as the Gators’ coach, but still slipped a spot in the CFP rankings despite winning its 12th straight this season (and 28th overall)."

Everybody was wondering if TCU, Baylor, or Ohio State would move up to the fourth position. Turns out it was Florida State who took the spot and TCU moving up to third. Alabama remained at No. 1 and will face now No. 16 Missouri in the SEC Championship Game this weekend.

UAB President Ray Watts: ‘Killing football was not what we set out to do’ (AL.com)

"Watts said that “killing football was not what we set out to do” but the more they analyzed, the clearer the situation became. Football just was not sustainable.Continuing to fund the team would divert resources from other priorities on campus, departments that show promise or athletic programs that could be competitive.“This was an agonizing decision because of the young people involved,” Watts said. “We knew we had to make difficult, but clearly necessary, decisions.”"

The state of Alabama was rocked by the news yesterday that UAB had decided to kill three sports in their athletic department, including the football team, which became bowl eligible this season. This will certainly be a story to be talked about for the coming days.

Ultimate Guide to College Football Conference Championship Weekend (Bleacher Report)

"Come Sunday, a year’s worth of speculation about which four teams will make the College Football Playoff—and more than a year’s worth of speculation about how it will feel to have a College Football Playoff—will be rewarded, and we will finally be given a national semifinal bracket that means something."

Here’s a quick primer on the exciting championship games this weekend.

Despite Playoff Implications, SEC Championship Game Tickets Least Expensive In Five Seasons (Forbes)

"Currently the average price for SEC Championship Game tickets on TiqIQ is $342.50 with a get-in price of $112. This is the first time since TiqIQ started keeping track of data in 2010 that the SEC Championship Game has an average prices below $400. The price is 48.4% below the average price of the game last season."

Interesting business article on the SEC Championship tickets. At one point, there were tickets at $100 bucks on Missouri’s site.

Rammer Jammer: Iron Bowl Post Game Celebration (TideSports.com)

"Alabama quarterback Blake Sims leads the fans into celebration and Rammer Jammer following the Crimson Tide’s 55-44 victory over Auburn in the Iron Bowl."

Just relive it one more time.