PHOENIX, Ariz. — When top-ranked Clemson takes the field at The University of Phoenix Stadium on Monday night, it will do it representing more than just the football program.

Clemson sold 20,000 tickets through its ticket office for the National Championship Game on Monday against No. 2 Alabama. There are tons of stories where flights are full of Clemson fans headed west. It’s estimated there could be between 30 and 40,000 Clemson fans. The stadium holds 63,400.

“It definitely proves that Clemson has some of the best fans in the country,” linebacker Ben Boulware said. “We saw that in the Orange Bowl. We saw that in the ACC Championship Game. They were basically home games for us.”

When the team left for Arizona on Friday, they were greeted by 5,000 fans as they loaded up the buses. Heading down 1-85 towards the airport in Greenville, thousands of fans lined up on the overpasses to wish the team good luck – and did it in a driving rain storm nonetheless.

“Their heart and soul is poured into this program,” left guard Eric Mac Lain said.

And that’s what makes the National Championship Game so important. The players don’t want to just win this game for themselves, but they want to do it for the Clemson community and the fans.

“It really kind of inspires you,” Mac Lain said. “You are playing for something more than just yourself. You are playing for all these fans, this Clemson family that is out there.

“Once we saw all of those people, it brightened everyone up. It put a little pep in our step. I heard Clemson is going to be traveling well. We are excited to see that stadium and hopefully it is going to be painted orange.”

Deshaun Watson says the Clemson Family is why he decided to come to Clemson, and “It is great to be able to bring them along with us,” he said. “I knew if we had an opportunity to get to this point, they are not going to pass it up. People have been buying their tickets ever since November.

“A lot of people have faith in us and it is great to know that.”