Oregon has decided to move on from Mark Helfrich, firing the fourth-year coach and starting the program's first national coaching search since Rich Brooks was hired in 1977.

Helfrich met with athletic director Rob Mullens on Tuesday night and was informed that he would be dismissed, according to CSNNW's Aaron Fentress, who first reported the firing. After Oregon's 34-24 loss to rival Oregon State in the Civil War, Mullens announced that he would evaluate the football program in the middle of this week.

"We want to thank Mark for his eight years with the University of Oregon and appreciate his efforts on behalf of Oregon football," Mullens said in a statement. "We wish Mark and his family the best."

Helfrich went 37-16 in four years at Oregon, taking the Ducks to the College Football Playoff title game in 2014. Ultimately, Helfrich could not match the success of his predecessor, Chip Kelly, and posted the school's first losing record since 2004 and the program's worst mark since 1991 by going 4-8 this season.

"It is a great honor to have served as the head football coach at the University of Oregon," Helfrich said in a statement. "It is with respect and disappointment that we receive this decision. Plain and simple -- we didn't win enough games this season.Thank you first to my wife, Megan, and our family, the fans, the campus community, the board, our donors and administration. To our coaches, staff and their families, it is impossible to communicate my gratitude for the environment we got to work in every single day. Finally, to the players -- thank you, and I love you. The future is bright for this young, talented team, and we will be supporting them and their new leadership."

According to CSSNW, Mullens asked Helfrich to "sell [him] on a plan to turn things around" at Oregon during the meeting held late Tuesday. "Also factoring into the equation was Helfrich's buyout price tag of $11.6 million with there years remaining on his contract, and the fact that no obvious coaching replacement candidate had been identified," Fentress wrote. "Another factor was that the coaching staff includes many who have been with the program for from 14 to 33 years. Letting go of an entire staff would require a slam-dunk alternative option that might not have existed."

What's next for Oregon?

This is a wild time for the Ducks. Oregon hasn't had a coaching search in the internet era. Message boards have gotten used to these internal promotions from Brooks-to-Belotti-to-Kelly-to-Helfrich and never got to enjoy the madness that is tracking private planes. CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd presents this list of six candidates.

According to Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman, the names in the mix for for the job include Florida's Jim McElwain, UCF's Scott Frost (a former Oregon assistant), West Virginia's Dana Holgorsen, Boise State's Bryan Harsin and Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck.

For Oregon to make the move indicates that there is some level of confidence in locking down one of its top targets. The financial burden of Helfrich's hefty buyout can be lifted by timely giving from top donors but the the program's perception will be dramatically impacted by the school's first outside hire in 40 years.