Missouri caoch Gary Pinkel said he expects tight end Chase Coffman to play against Kansas this week but noted he had said the same thing before the last two games when Coffman was a late scratch.

“He’s been going through practice and doing everything,”  Pinkel said. “I hope I’m right this week but I expect him to play.”

Coffman hurt his toe against Baylor and has missed the last two games against Kansas State and Iowa State.

Pinkel has a bit of influence on who Missouri would play in the Big 12 title game because of his vote in the USA Today Coaches’ poll. The Big 12 South representative could be determined by a tiebreaker that uses the BCS standings of which the coaches’ poll is a part.

Any indication on which way he ranked Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech? “You can see my final ballot,” Pinkel said. “But I take the job very seriously. I will do the right thing.”

The coaches are required to make public their vote in the final poll but not before that.

Pinkel said again that he likes playing the Kansas game in Arrowhead because of its financial rewards but knows a long-term commitment to the game in Kansas City must take into consideration his desire to play six home games each year.