Tommy Tuberville ATLANTA – DECEMBER 31: Head coach Tommy Tuberville of the Auburn University Tigers reacts to a play against the Clemson Univeristy Tigers during the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on December 31, 2007 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. Auburn defeated Clemson 23-20 in overtime. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

After being let go by Cincinnati during the last round of the college football coaching carousel, it appears Tommy Tuberville may be heading back to the state of Alabama for his next job pursuit. No, Tuberville isn’t about to return to Auburn and he is not going to be replacing Nick Saban. Instead, a potential run for governor of Alabama could be a real possibility for the former college football coach.

Robert Bentley resigned as Alabama’s governor on Friday amid scandal, which leaves a seat in the governor’s office wide open in 2018. He is now the third governor in the last six in Alabama to be convicted of a crime while serving as governor. Tuberville has seen enough and is legitimately thinking about making a run for the office in an attempt to turn Alabama back in the right direction.

“We don’t need another black eye,” Tuberville said, according to Sports Illustrated. “We don’t have any eyes left.”

An official decision has not been made at this time, but Tuberville could be making a decision one way or the other in the coming weeks on whether or not he will run for the Republican party’s nomination for governor. He has submitted the required paperwork to the Alabama election commission and is putting together plans for what would seem to be a bit of a campaign tour to allow some face-to-face time with Alabama residents from all walks of life, all of which suggests Tuberville is planning for a run. He just needs to decide whether or not he thinks a campaign will be worth the time and money. Will get stand a chance of getting elected?

That is a fair question. Tuberville has no political experience to rely on, but with Donald Trump in office, that may no longer matter.

Interestingly enough, however, is one of Tuberville’s prior jobs: Auburn head coach. Yes, his run as head coach at Auburn could be used against him by any number of Alabama fans in the state. While we would like to think people are mature enough to separate sports from politics, we also are not naive to think some voters will vote for or against Tuberville based on their rooting interests.

With that in mind, Tuberville may have to go back to his coaching tendencies to woo some Crimson Tide fans in his favor on the campaign trail.

“You can look at me as the Auburn coach or whatever. But can I—more than anybody else that’s running for this position—help you have better healthcare, education for your kids and a better job to put money in your pocket?” Tuberville says. “If you think that, and you don’t vote for me because I was the Auburn coach, there’s something wrong with that.”

Then again, if Tuberville could get an endorsement from Nick Saban, who knows how the state of Alabama would handle it. It just might be like cats and dogs living together.

[Sports Illustrated]

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.