National championship game

6:30 p.m. Monday, ESPN

No. 1 Clemson (14-0) vs. No. 2 Alabama (13-1); Glendale, Ariz.

Line: Alabama by 6½ points.

WHAT’S AT STAKE The national championship of the 2015 season. Clemson is trying to become the first 15-0 champion in majorcollege football history, while Alabama is trying to win its fourth national title in seven seasons.

KEY MATCHUP Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson vs. Alabama’s front seven on defense. Watson, a sophomore and Heisman Trophy finalist from Gainesville, Ga., set an Atlantic Coast Conference record for total offense with 4,731 yards (1,032 on the ground) this season. He has led Clemson to 10 consecutive games of 500 or more total yards. But he hasn’t played against a group of defensive linemen and linebackers as rugged as Alabama’s. The Crimson Tide had nine sacks against Mississippi State star Dak Prescott in a 31-6 pounding of the Bulldogs on Nov. 14.

PLAYERS TO WATCH Clemson: Cornerback Mackensie Alexander. The leader of the Tigers’ secondary usually is assigned to the opponent’s best wide receiver. This time, that is Alabama star Calvin Ridley (83 catches for 1,031 yards and seven touchdowns). Alexander has six pass breakups this season — but zero interceptions, mostly because QBs don’t test him much. Alabama: Running back Derrick Henry. The Heisman Trophy winner, a 6-foot-3, 242pound junior from Yulee, Fla., set Southeastern Conference records with 2,061 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns on the ground in his first season as a full-time starter with the Crimson Tide. He is averaging 147.2 yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry. And he is a big reason Alabama has outscored opponents by nearly 300 points (481 to 187).