The 1979 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its second season under head coach Dwight Wallace, the team compiled a 6–5 record (4–4 against MAC opponents) and finished in a tie for fourth place out of ten teams in the conference. The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.