NEW ORLEANS — If you would have said to Jeff Heuerman before the season Ohio State would lose its top two quarterbacks, the senior tight end may not have suited up for the Buckeyes in 2014.

"If someone would have told me you were going to lose two Heisman Trophy quarterbacks your senior year, see ya," Heuerman said Sunday while laughing. "NFL, let's go."

But now, both Heuerman and No. 4 Ohio State are thankful that wasn't the case as it preps to take on top-ranked Alabama on Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl.

Heuerman's numbers this season haven't matched what they were a year ago. He's got just 17 catches for 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But the senior tight end's impact on this year's Buckeyes may be more than just production on the field.

It's one of the many reasons Ohio State finds itself in this position as part of the first-ever College Football Playoff.

“I think leadership on this team, we have great leadership. Being close with all the guys, every time something bad happened to us we just rallied even more and it really brought us close as a team," Heuerman said. "We’ve fought so much adversity and just kept kind of building on top of it and it’s obviously gotten us to the playoff and to the final four where we want to be.”

How much Heuerman and fellow tight end Nick Vannett are used against the Crimson Tide remains a mystery, but the pair of tight ends could be a nice asset to have as a security blanket for quarterback Cardale Jones, who is making just his second-career start.

Heuerman hinted the Buckeyes could show some things offensively they haven't put on film yet this year.

"Knowing Coach Meyer for the last three years, there’s things you guys didn’t see on film for a reason that you know he’s kept in his back pocket for games like this," he said. "We’re excited to go out there and we know it’s going to be a good game.”

It almost didn't come to this for Heuerman, though. He would have likely left Ohio State had you told him before the season he'd be catching passes from a third-string quarterback.

Now, he's in a position to help lift try and lift the Buckeyes to a spot in the national championship game.

"Teams like Ohio State, Alabama and some of the top programs of the country, you’re expected to be in it every year," Heuerman said. "It’s been 12 years I guess now so we’re just excited to be back here and have a chance to go play for it again."