Paul Finebaum opens up on how Alabama fans feel about their matchup with Michigan

This year’s College Football Playoff slate seems like one of the most competitive to date, consisting of four teams that are all seemingly just as capable of hoisting a national championship trophy when it’s all said and done.

But apparently, there’s some confidence coming out of Tuscaloosa. With former Alabama quarterback and current analyst Greg McElroy hearing about some Crimson Tide fans skipping out on the team’s Rose Bowl matchup against Michigan in anticipation of attending the national championship. Which he discussed on ‘McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning’ with Paul Finebaum.

“I don’t need to remind people that’s what happened in 2014,” Finebaum said. “I remember walking around the corner before the Ohio State game and there were no Alabama fans. We did a show outside, I think outside Manning’s Restaurant, and it was all Ohio State fans because Alabama fans wanted to go to the first CFP Championship game in Dallas.”

The Crimson Tide were 7-point favorites over Ohio State in the first CFP Playoff, with the Buckeyes upsetting Alabama in a 42-35 win on their way to a national championships victory led by their third-string quarterback Cardale Jones.

But for this year’s CFP Semifinal, the Crimson Tide are 1.5-point underdogs to the undefeated, top-ranked Wolverines. Which apparently comes with differing opinions depending on who you ask.

“I like Alabama, but I have talked to a few pretty smart and objective people who aren’t necessarily on board. I hate, for somebody who doesn’t gamble, to quote one of the most famous gamblers in the world on how he saw the game. But I interviewed Billy Walters the other night, remember the book a couple of months ago with all the Phil Mickelson bets, he’s considered the preeminent guy in the entire country,” Finebaum explained.

“I asked him point blank about the game, he said the right team’s favored and I tried to push him and you could tell he’s obviously saving that for his lollapalooza next week for his clients.”

Michigan has been one of the top three ranked teams in the nation for the entire season, not losing once in 2023 while also boasting the nation’s top scoring margin, defeating their opponents by an average of 27.2 points per game.

They also have the nation’s top-scoring defense, holding opponents to just 9.5 points per game while scoring 36.7 points of their own. But Finebaum and some others are still convinced that the Rose Bowl is Alabama’s game to win.

“But he said, ‘There’s a couple of things about the game that I just don’t like,’ and by the way, I didn’t agree with this, but he mentioned the field and I’ll defer to you guys on why that field may negate some of the speed of Alabama. But that was the one person that affected me a little bit in terms of hold on a second, let’s not buy the national championship gear yet,” Finebaum said. “But I’m still on board.”

The CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl between Alabama and Michigan kicks off on January 1 at 5:00 p.m. ET in a high-stakes matchup airing on ESPN.