Week Ahead

What to watch and watch for

THURSDAY 10/5

NBA Preseason:76ers at FC Barcelona Philadelphia is one of four NBA teams going Euro for partof training camp--and its first exhibition game will pit Allen Iverson againstBarca point guard, Gianluca Basile (right), who is also captain of Italy'snational team. Other NBA clubs warming up overseas are the Spurs (France), Suns(Italy) and Clippers (Moscow). NBATV 3 p.m.

Chrysler ClassicJohn Daly took two bags with him to Greensboro. One was for his music gear--theman who brought us the dittyI'm Drunk, Damn Broke was to play a gig before thetournament. The other was for his golf gear, instruments in an equally woefultale: Daly (right) hasn't won a PGA Tour event since 2004. Thursday and FridayUSA 4 p.m.; Saturday USA 3 p.m.; Sunday ABC 3 p.m.

SATURDAY 10/7

Nikolay Valuevvs. Monte Barrett At 44-0, WBA heavyweight champ Valuev (page 58) is on a questto eclipse Rocky Marciano's 49-0 career mark. His opponent in his secondStateside bout, outside Chicago, ain't exactly Jersey Joe Walcott. JourneymanMonte Barrett (31-4) hasn't fought since losing to Hasim Rahman more than ayear ago. HBO 10 p.m.

SUNDAY 10/8

UAW-Ford 500NASCAR rolls into Talladega for the only restrictor-plate race in the Chase forthe Nextel Cup. That's good news for Jimmie Johnson, who's wallowing in eighthplace. Johnson has won two of the three plate races this year, including theAaron's 499 at Talladega last April. NBC 2 p.m.

Redskins atGiants Tom Coughlin's coaching seat could get a little warmer if he loses thisNFC East showdown. Last week the New York boss was trashed by tight end JeremyShockey (right), who claimed the team hadn't been properly prepared before itsblowout loss to Seattle. Fox 1 p.m.

MONDAY 10/9

Primal QuestWhat's the best way to see Utah? On foot, on bike, on horseback or in a kayak?Ninety coed teams of four find out on a 10-day, 450-mile trek through themountains of the state. Most competitors get an hour or two of sleep per day inbrutal conditions. Temperatures range from 110° in the day to 25° at night.Through Oct. 12, ESPN 2 7:30 p.m.; Saturday Oct. 14, ABC 2 p.m.

SI PICK OF THEWEEK
SATURDAY 10/7

Florida Keys

The Gators are5-0 and ranked No. 5, but there's a controversy brewing in Gainesville.Starting quarterback Chris Leak (left) has a passer rating of 174.1, andFlorida has the SEC's top offense (438.4 yards per game), yet fans areclamoring for freshman Tim Tebow (right). More dazzling with his legs than withhis arm, he ran for a touchdown in last Saturday's win over Alabama and is theGators' second-leading rusher. Whoever takes the snaps in the Swamp against No.9 LSU won't have it easy. The Tigers' D has allowed 7.4 points per game. CBS3:30 p.m.

FIVE PHOTOS

BOB ROSATO (LEAK); DOUG BENC/GETTY IMAGES (TEBOW); AL TIELEMANS (SHOCKEY); REBECCA NADEN/PA/AP (DALY); KOICHI KAMOSHIDA/GETTY IMAGES (BASILE)