Former California head coach Steve Mariucci joined the San Francisco 49ers after losing to the Naval Academy last year. Former Stanford head coach Dennis Green left for the Minnesota Vikings and Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Ross opted for the Washington Redskins after the 1991 Aloha Bowl.

Now along comes Michigan State head coach Nick Saban, who is rumored to be the next main man should Cleveland be awarded an NFL expansion team. Last year, Saban turned down the head coaching position for the New York Giants.

And while the third-year coach for the Spartans is flattered to be considered for the possible expansion franchise in Cleveland, at this point, he's happy to be at Michigan State.

''My main concern is coming out on Christmas Day and beating the Washington Huskies,'' Saban said at today's Aloha Bowl press conference at Planet Hollywood. ''I'm always flattered that somebody would consider giving me an opportunity in this profession.

''But basically, I have the job that I want. If I wanted to be an NFL coach, I would be one now. I had the opportunity to do it last year with the New York Giants and did not do it with what is a good organization."

Saban has led the Spartans to their third consecutive bowl game since taking over the program in 1995. Michigan State finished 6-5-1 and lost to LSU, 45-26, in the Independence Bowl. Last year, the Spartans were 6-6 and lost to Stanford, 38-0, in the Sun Bowl.

The Spartans opened this season with five wins before losing four consecutive games to Northwestern, Michigan, Ohio State and Purdue. Michigan State missed critical field goals in the 19-17 defeat at Northwestern and the 22-21 loss at Purdue.

''People forget we had to overcome tremendous adversity here to get this program turned around,'' Saban said. ''We only had 72 guys on scholarship this year and have never had more than 73 since I've been here because of the NCAA violations that occurred here before we came on board.

''So I'm proud of our players and coaches for overcoming a lot of problems and still making it to the postseason each of the three years we've been here. Our goal this week is to win our first bowl game, and finish with eight wins and a top 25 ranking.''

COACHING CONNECTIONS : Washington head coach Jim Lambright has some previous connections to the Michigan State program as does Saban to Washington.

In Lambright's first game as a Husky assistant coach in 1969, Michigan State defeated Washington, 27-11, in East Lansing, Mich. The Spartans were coached by Duffy Daugherty that season, while Jim Owens was the head coach at Washington. Lambright exacted a measure of revenge the following year with a 42-16 victory over Michigan State in Seattle.

Saban's head coach during his playing days at Kent State (1970-72) was former head coach Don James of Washington. Saban earned three letters as a strong safety for the Golden Flashes.

HEALTHY AGAIN: Washington might have been preparing for the Rose Bowl if not for all the injuries that plagued them during the regular season.

The Huskies had 10 starters and key reserves miss a combined 32 games. Chief among them were quarterback Brock Huard (ankle), tailback Rashaan Shehee (ankle), and offensive linemen Ben Kadletz (stress fracture) and Elliot Silvers (dislocated knee cap).

Lambright expects to have most everyone back for the Christmas Day game, and conceded that injuries played a vital role in the Huskies' recent demise.