The 1980 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its third season under head coach Dwight Wallace, the team compiled a 6–5 record (5–4 against MAC opponents) and finished in a tie for fifth place out of ten teams in the conference. The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.