The 1986 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its second season under head coach Paul Schudel, the team compiled a 6–5 record (4–4 against conference opponents) and finished in a three-way tie for fifth place out of nine teams in the MAC. The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.