Read the newsletter below. Sign up to get it in your inbox each day here.

Nix to New York

As the 2018 Pinson Valley High School quarterback, Bo Nix was the state of Alabama’s Mr. Football. Now, as a former Auburn University and current Oregon quarterback, Nix is a finalist for the only award named after a pose: college football’s Heisman Trophy.

Nix passed for 4,145 yards and 40 touchdowns this season while leading Oregon to an 11-2 record. The math teachers in the audience have already figured out that rounds up to 319 yards per game. And he leads the nation with a 77.2-percent completion percentage.

He has indicated that he’ll play in the Fiesta Bowl against No. 23 Liberty on New Year’s Day.

The Heisman Trophy ceremony is 7 p.m. Saturday in New York.

“S-Town” character killed

Tyler Goodson, who became known as a character on the 2017 podcast “S-Town,” was shot and killed by police over the weekend, reports AL.com’s Carol Robinson.

Police say they responded to a call at Goodson’s home in Woodstock, he barricaded himself inside the house, they spent three hours trying to talk him out, and finally shot him after he brandished a firearm.

The State Bureau of Investigation is leading a probe of the shooting.

Cockfighting bust

A cockfighting establishment was uncovered in Grand Bay earlier this year, resulting in 10 arrested people and 60 seized roosters, Fox 10 News has reported.

Authorities told the station that the venue had stadium seats and concessions that included fare such as hot dogs and, of course, chicken fingers.They said the roosters they found were “re-homed.” The property owner pled guilty to cruelty to animals. Others entered misdemeanor gambling guilty pleas and several folks had their charges dropped because of a lack of evidence.

GOP’s Tuscaloosa debate

The fourth presidential GOP primary debate will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Frank Moody Music Hall on the University of Alabama campus. Four Republicans are expected to be there, reports AL.com’s John Sharp.

The debate will be broadcast on NewsNation and feature moderators Elizabeth Vargas, Megyn Kelly and Eliana Johnson.

Taking part in the debate will be Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and the most recent candidate to confirm, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Not attending, of course, is former president and frontrunner Donald Trump, who has ducked out on all the GOP’s debates this go-round. He’ll be in Florida fundraising, depriving us of seeing whether he’d again blame DeSantis for undefeated Florida State’s being left out of the college football playoffs.

I mean, if this campaign is going to get that weird — and, folks, its gonna get that weird — face-to-face with the Florida governor in Tuscaloosa would’ve been the ideal setting for that particular attack.

Quoting

“Florida State was treated very badly by the ‘Committee’ They become the first Power Five team to be left out of the College Football Playoffs. Really bad lobbying effort. … Let’s blame DeSanctimonious!!!”

Former President Donald Trump, on his Truth Social account.

By the numbers

$11 million

That’s Red Lobster’s reported operating loss during the fall quarter. The seafood restaurant chain blamed the performance partly on its “all day, every day” Endless Shrimp promotion, saying that Americans ate a lot more shrimp than expected.

More Alabama news

The podcast