As Oregon enters the final weekend of the regular season, speculation runs rampant on whether head coach Mark Helfrich will return in 2017 - or if he'll be let go.

As the season has worn on, the tide has shifted several times, as Ducks gave up 70 points to Washington at home, lost in overtime game to Cal, won at home against Arizona State, lost ugly USC and Stanford, and rebounded with an impressive upset over a ranked Utah squad.

As the Ducks head into the Civil War on on Saturday, Helfrich's position seems to have stabilized somewhat.

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Multiple industry and Oregon sources have told DuckTerritory.com that Mark Helfrich will likely return next season, though we caution no final decision has been made.

Why?

Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens and his team of administrators and high level boosters still remain confident in Helfrich as the head coach, however they are deeply concerned about the trajectory of the 2016 season and fear season ticket sales could plummet.

We are told Oregon has researched - and gone as far as to gauge the interest of - potential head coaching candidates. Names like Tom Herman and Gary Patterson have surfaced, among others. But he feeling is that Patterson will likely stay at TCU and Herman is said to prefer other opportunities.

Oregon is unique in that it has not fired a head coach in 40 years and many of the assistants have survived the transitions from one head coach to another. The Ducks have been able to keep continuity by elevating a new coach internally. Someone from the outside will want to bring in his own staff and will likely keep no more than two staffers - in any. The cost of such a move could run well above $20 million if the Ducks want to hire a competitive staff. While Phil Knight and other big boosters have donated large sums of money in the past, none have shown the willingness to hover over the athletic department and dictate or demand immediate changes.

The feeling is that Helfrich will get another year and that Oregon's long-standing core of coaches deserves an opportunity to fix the problems.

We caution, no final decision has been made. A change change could still occur. As booster and former Oregon athletic director Pat Kilkenny said on John Canzano's radio show, Oregon's fan base does get a vote and that is with their season ticket renewals. Should the Ducks not fire Mark Helfrich, it is safe to assume there could be some tinkering with the staff, but wholesale changes are unlikely.

Entering Saturday's Civil War game, there's lot on the line for Oregon coaches. A win would put the Ducks at 5-7 and render a coaching change unlikely. However, a loss to the Beavers could warm the seat back up for Mark Helfrich and his entire staff.

This isn't a win or you're out situation for Helfrich. But a loss would certainly be very damaging.

Oregon's coaches are expected to hit the recruiting trail hard immediately following the Civil War. Another reason for optimism is that recruiting appears to be going quite well, even during this turbulent season. The Ducks currently have a top 25 recruiting class headlined by five highly rated defensive prospects.

A final decision on Helfrich and his staff is likely to come quickly after the conclusion of the regular season for recruiting purposes.