Like many people, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was expecting to see Florida State pop up as the Wolverines’ Rose Bowl opponent when the College Football Playoff pairings were announced on Dec. 3.

But the more he thought about, the more it made sense it would be the Crimson Tide across the field in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. Kickoff between No. 1 Michigan (13-0) and No. 4 Alabama (12-1) is set for 4 p.m. on Monday, with television coverage on ESPN.

“It was not a joke at all when that came out,” McCarthy said. “They’ve been here before and been successful in it. When that came out, all of us were really shocked they left Florida State out. But you can understand where they were coming from and especially with the way that Alabama was (playing) towards the end of the year and beating Georgia and just the team they are, it makes sense. When you watch film, you see it, why they’re in the playoff. Everything about them — offense, defense, special teams, they’re really talented. So it’s a great challenge for us.”

As Michigan’s quarterback, McCarthy will be most tasked with finding a way to put points on the board against Alabama’s rugged defense. The Crimson Tide is in the Top 20 nationally in both scoring defense and total defense this season.

McCarthy said the Crimson Tide is extremely well-coached, but also more athletic and faster than most defenses the Wolverines have faced this year.

“Coach Saban, (defensive coordinator Kevin) Steele, they do a great job of making sure they’re in the right place at the right time,” McCarthy said. “Obviously, they’re just athletic freaks all over the board. They’re physical, they’re fast. They play a lot and they check a lot and they make sure that they’re in the right calls and the game plan very well.

“So yeah, biggest thing about them is they’re so well-coached with such an athletic team. And their speed is very tough to simulate.”