Paul Finebaum picks Alabama over Michigan in the Rose Bowl

With one week since the announcement of the College Football Playoff, we are now 21 days away from kickoff between No. 1 Michigan and No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl. That span has given Paul Finebaum enough time to formulate an early take on the matchup between the Wolverines and Crimson Tide.

Finebaum made his premature prediction for the playoff semifinal in Pasadena during ‘McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning’ on Monday. While he didn’t have much of an opinion on the Sugar Bowl, he did lean the way of ‘Bama as far as the winner on the left side of the four-team bracket.

“I still like Alabama,” said Finebaum. “I’m a little more mixed on the other game – I’ll defer to Greg as we get closer since he has already done the homework. But I definitely like Alabama in the game against Michigan.”

With the game still three weeks out, Michigan remains a favorite per odds out of Vegas. Still, it’s right there for the taking considering it’s hovering around spreads at less than a field goal of difference.

The short margin is in large part due to the respect that many owe to Nick Saban and the Tide. That’s especially so based on the season of improvement that they’ve had in 2023. After a shaky start at 2-1, they closed on a 10-game win streak. A victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship was then an exclamation point on their playoff case.

The Rose Bowl is likely going to be as good as advertised considering the quality and caliber of both programs and rosters. Even so, based on what he has seen from both teams this fall, Finebaum stayed with the Southeastern Conference as he has Alabama making yet another appearance in the national championship.

“It’s only because what I’ve seen that they’re capable of,” said Finebaum. “I’m still somewhat curious about Michigan – I know what they’ve done, the Ohio State game. But, beyond maybe that and the Penn State game, I just don’t have a good feeling about them.”

Saban shows off Ferrari during recruiting weekend

Nick Saban can use a lot of different things in order to recruit the best of the best to Tuscaloosa. On Sunday, though, his pitch took place in his garage and a featured a crimson Ferrari.

Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., the son of former Alabama CB Dre Kirkpatrick, shared a video of Saban on his Instagram story. It showed the Crimson Tide’s head coach getting in the front seat of the slick car. He then fired it up for the group of commits and recruits once he got behind the wheel.

Nick Saban showing off his Ferrari — no driving today, it’s not Wednesday

🎥 @KirkpatrickDre pic.twitter.com/6ZzqpIpbO1

— Brett Greenberg (@BrettGreenberg_) December 10, 2023

Saban has a laundry list of ways to make his case to recruits who are considering coming to Alabama. However, if all else fails, being able to get behind the wheel of a sports car like that certainly doesn’t make you seem any less impressive to high schoolers.