Tulane fires head football coach Curtis Johnson

Like Allen though, when he was sacked as the Oakland Raiders head coach early in 2014, Johnson may want to take some time away from football if he is let go by Tulane as it's being rumored; so if a reunion does happen it may not materialize until later in the offseason.

Johnson's firing came less than 24 hours after Tulane's 45-34 loss to Tulsa.

Depending on which AD is hired, former Saints defensive coordinator for the head coaching position. When Payton first came to the New Orleans Saints, long before the Super Bowl win, Johnson was a member of his staff. He was a receivers coach.

USA Today first reported Wednesday that Johnson would be fired after the Tulsa game, barring a major turn of events, and sources immediately confirmed the accuracy of that to The Advocate, making the final few days for Johnson an awkward fait accompli.

And if that coach can experience short-term success, he will owe a thank you to Curtis Johnson for how he left the Tulane football program. His efforts were rewarded in 2013 when Tulane reached its first bowl in 11 years. It was his third losing season in four years. Tulane has been focused on rebuilding their once proud program for the last few years.

And that's part of the reason that Johnson is unemployed. Even had Tulane dominated that game, the team would be 4-8 with a win over a Tulsa team that was under.500.

SMU was 1-9 overall and 0-6 in the AAC before that victory - and then lost 63-0 to Memphis on Saturday.

Per the Times-Picayune, Tulane will begin its coaching search after it finds a replacement for Dickson, who announced in September that he'll retire in May.