Former Penn State coach James Franklin was fired by the Nittany Lions after his team's third consecutive loss in Week 7 action despite being ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 preseason polls. Franklin made his first statement after being fired on the set of ESPN's "College GameDay." Franklin, who was on the hot seat last season before leading the Nittany Lions to the Orange Bowl, expressed his shock at being fired and reeled off his achievements and made a bold declaration about winning the national championship. "To think, essentially six games ago, we were fighting for a chance to be in the national championship game," James Franklin said. "A two-minute drive away. So, that's the thing, I really can't answer that. 12 years, a ton of good moments, a bunch of good wins. But decisions were made. I'm not involved in those decisions. "I'm very grateful for the time I had and most importantly, for the relationships I was able to build. I thought we were gonna win a national championship there, we were close. That goal hasn't changed. We're just gonna win a national championship somewhere else now."College football fans on X had mixed reactions to James Franklin's bold declaration."Strong mindset. Winners never stop believing," one fan tweeted."Who’s swapping zip codes, not ambitions," another fan tweeted."Are those big wins in the room with us?" One fan tweeted.Some fans mocked Franklin's declaration. "Franklin is a grifter. This interview said it all. No self-reflection and a bunch of arrogance," one fan tweeted."You couldn’t even beat 0-4 UCLA or Northwestern what are you talking about," another fan tweeted."Lmao you ain’t winning it anywhere else," one fan tweeted.James Franklin backed by Nick Saban over firingAfter James Franklin admitted his surprise at his firing by the Penn State Nittany Lions, he was backed by former Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban. During Saturday's segment of ESPN's "College GameDay," Saban broke down the polarizing Franklin's accomplishments and why his firing was unfair. "You know, you made the statement it’s not like up to you to decide what’s fair or unfair. I’m going to answer it," Saban said. "It’s unfair as hell for you to go to the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, get in the final four, come out being ranked No. 1 this year. "An expectation you created but what you accomplished at Penn State, and for those people not to show enough appreciation for that, and gratitude for that and all the hard work you did, I’m saying it’s unfair."James Franklin finished his Penn State tenure with a 104-45 record in 12 years, while turning the Nittany Lions into a perennial Big Ten and college football playoff contender.