The 1987 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its third season under head coach Paul Schudel, the team compiled an 4–7 record (3–5 against conference opponents) and finished in eighth place out of nine teams in the MAC. The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.