re: Saban wanted to come back to Michigan State according to book

He couldn't go back. If he hadn't produced a top ten season in 99, he probably would have been fired. It was one of the reasons he left for LSU in the first place.

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Just think if he went back.

Would Michigan State be a perennial national title contender

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I doubt it. he interviewed with the NFL multiple times while at MSU, but didn't have the juice to get total control but most likely would have eventually gone. His goal at that time was to get to the NFL. Plus tOSU hired sweater vest a year later and Michigan was still a top program and so was PSU more or less. I do remember friends in the media back then saying how he looked like he had extreme culture shock. Not surprising given his back ground.

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Would LSU be where it is now if Saban had changed his mind? Who were the second choices?
Would LSU be like it was under Hallman and Dinardo?

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I don't recall the 2nd choices but I'm 100% certain it would not have remained like DiNardo and Hallman. Joe Dean was AD in the 90's and he ran the dept on a tight budget and was happy since he was in the black and didnt spend because winning costs more. Emmert realized LSU was leaving money on the table by having a bad football program and knew that while he had to spend more, the revenue would increase even more with a winning FB team. Would we have won 1, let alone 2 National Titles? Who knows. Maybe we'd be like UGA (and Richt may have been considered) usually very good but unable to crack the top at worst, but the 8 losing seasons in 11 years was a product of tight budgeting. That's why we settled for guys like Curley and DiNardo.

Heck Gerry D would prolly have done better and lasted longer if Dean wasn't so stingy. DiNardo crashed with Tepper, the only reasons we had Tepper was because Carl Reese left for Texas and a better contract.
Speaking of Texas, If Dean had been willing to spend in 94, we may have been able to get Mack Brown instead of settling for DiNardo.