Washington isn’t even in the Big 12, but beating the Huskies might be the single biggest step Nebraska will take towards a conference title.

Of course, knocking off a Pac-10 Conference opponent doesn’t count in the Big 12 standings.

But it does make a statement.

And on a weekend when Missouri and Texas A&’M both failed to impress, Oklahoma eked out a win against Air Force and Texas looked vulnerable at times against Texas Tech, Nebraska was dominant.

The Huskers controlled the game on offense, defense and special teams.

Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez showed he wasn’t just a runner with 150 passing yards, Eric Hagg and his fellow defensive backs sent U. Washington quarterback Jake Locker sliding down the draft board, and a medley of kick returners made the Huskies coverage teams look amateurish.

And this wasn’t Western Kentucky U.

Sure, the Huskies lost to Brigham Young U. and didn’t make a bowl game last season. But with Locker considered by many to be the nation’s best quarterback (at least before the game) and Steve Sarkisian leading a renaissance in the Washington program, a win in Seattle was hardly a sure thing.

Still, it wasn’t so much that Nebraska won but rather how they won that made Saturday so important.

With three prolific rushers (Rex Burkhead, Roy Helu Jr. and Martinez), three front-line receivers (Brandon Kinnie, Mike McNeill and Niles Paul) and a defense that might even be better than last year’s, the Huskers showed Saturday that they should be the favorite to win the Big 12. And by at least one measure they are, with Nebraska taking over the No. 6 spot in the AP Poll by leapfrogging both Texas and Oklahoma.

At this point, avenging last year’s heartbreaking conference title game is a matter of avoiding a letdown.

After finishing their non-conference schedule this week against South Dakota State, every team the Huskers play will be as good or better than Washington.

Next month’s rematch with Texas has been circled on every fan’s calendar since December, and of course every team would be thrilled to spoil Nebraska’s final jaunt through the Big 12.

But unlike recent years in which Nebraska entered games against marquee opponents as an underdog, they’ll now have to play the role of favorite.

Last season’s loss to an overachieving Iowa State team showed what can happen when the Huskers try to glide through a game on cruise control. Perhaps that’s why NU coach Bo Pelini was so horrified with his offense’s second-half performance this year against Idaho.

But if Saturday was a test of how well the Huskers would respond to the role of favorite this season, they passed it with gusto.

It’s hard to gauge a team’s abilities in matchups against lesser opponents like Western Kentucky and Idaho. But with 56 points against a Pac-10 team, it’s safe to say that this year’s Nebraska team is the best since Frank Solich left town in 2003.

Nebraska needed a big win to justify its top-10 ranking. Saturday did more than that, establishing the Huskers as an elite team and exposing the fragility of the rest of the Big 12.

If the Big Red can avoid a collapse, they might have already taken their biggest step toward winning their first conference title since 1999.