Page 2's Power Poll dares to rate the teams that are currently wielding the most power in the entire sports universe.

TEAM		PAGE 2 SAYS	MO' METER
1. St. Louis Rams		Looking very Super Bowlish these days.
2. Traditional college hoops powerhouses		As we've been saying from Day 1, nobody's perfect ... though Duke's men and UConn's women look pretty darn close to unbeatable.
3. New York's baseball teams		While the rest of the league sits on its collective thumb, the Yanks and Mets average a trade or free-agent signing every few days, which ain't bad during these days of Christmas and presumptive collusion. Last week's additions: Mo Vaughn to the Mets, David Wells to the Yankees. The fat men are all coming home!
4. Miami Hurricanes football		Somehow, we at Page 2 know these things ... the Nebraska Cornhuskers, undeserving as they might be to participate in the national title game, are an uncomfortable matchup for the 'Canes. By Thursday night, there might be no unbeaten teams left in college football.
5. Washington Wizards		Not the best team in the NBA. Not even close. But who are you and your hoop-crazed friends talking about these days -- the Spurs, the Shaq-less Lakers? We didn't think so. And will everybody who thought MJ couldn't cut it at 38 please raise their hands?
6. Oregon Ducks football		OK, explain to us again why these guys weren't picked to play in the Rose Bowl.
7. Carolina Hurricanes		Rising to top of Eastern Conference with four-game unbeaten streak and just one regulation loss in last 12 games (8-1-1-2).
8. Pittsburgh Steelers		Wow, did they look lousy against the Bengals! Still seem to be the best and most-balanced team in AFC -- and they've got home-field advantage through the playoffs -- but we've got to see Kordell do it under pressure.
9. Los Angeles Lakers		Despite a 5-5 week -- thanks in no small part to Shaq's big toe -- still sport best record in NBA. Barely. But just think of what a well-rested Shaq could mean to this team.
10. New England Patriots		A nondescript outfit that lost its franchise player two games into what figured to be a dismal season, the Pats, under coach of the year candidate Bill Belichick, should easily win AFC East and could wind up as AFC's No. 2 seed.
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Kentucky men's hoopsters, Tennessee women's hoopsters, "Lord of the Rings"

TEAM		PAGE 2 SAYS	MO' METER
5. New York pro football teams		Jets could have clinched a playoff spot, had a good shot at the No. 2 seed in AFC and killed those can't-win-in-December demons once and for all ... but couldn't beat the woeful Bills (2-12 coming in) at home. The Giants? What can we say ... maybe last year's Super Bowl team was a fluke.
4. Chicago Bulls		Under new coach Bill Cartwright, the Bulls figure to be bad for a long, long, long time. But not quite as long as the ....
3. Miami Heat		... who, under coaching legend Pat Riley, are old, capped-out and disinterested.
2. Detroit Lions		After a 24-0 blanking by offensively challenged Bears left them at 1-14, they are just terrible. But they're still better than the ...
1. Carolina Panthers		... who quit on coach George Seifert a long time ago, and haven't stopped since. Exhibit A: Sunday's 30-7 thrashing, at home, at the hands of the mediocre Arizona Cardinals.
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, Arizona Diamondbacks (lost Wells to hated Yankees), New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers (who will be back in the Bottom 5 soon), "The Majestic"

Mo' Meter explained:	No mo'; holding	Climbing the charts	Peaked; all downhill