Paul Finebaum told Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic he’s picking Alabama to win the Rose Bowl over No. 1 Michigan.

Speaking on WJOX in Birmingham, Alabama, Finebaum said Alabama (12-1) has shown improvement over the course of playing a rigorous schedule, but isn’t as sure about 13-0 Michigan, which he said played only 2 difficult opponents, Ohio State and Penn State, in the Big Ten.

“I definitely like Alabama in the game against Michigan,” Finebaum said on the “McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning” radio show. “It’s only because I’ve seen what they’re capable of.”

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0GGgzXVM0Zvdn3OxqfWxYR?si=VDkmCHbNQe21U0YURFE5aA

Michigan cruised through the season until winning 3 hard-fought games against Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State. The Wolverines beat Iowa 26-0 in the Big Ten title game.

“I’m still kind of curious about Michigan. I know what they’ve done in the Ohio State game. But beyond that and maybe the Penn State game, I don’t have a good feeling about them.

The winner of the New Year’s Day winner of the Rose Bowl will play the Sugar Bowl winner, Texas or Washington, for the national title on Jan. 8.

Though he said he hasn’t done much early homework on the Sugar Bowl, Finebaum said he’s learning toward picking Texas, setting up a potential Alabama-Texas rematch in the national championship game.