1940 Santa Barbara State Gauchos football team

The 1940 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos football team represented Santa Barbara State College—now known as the University of California, Santa Barbara as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1940 college football season. Led by Spud Harder in his seventh and final season as head coach, Santa Barbara State compiled an overall record of 5–5 with a mark of 0–3 in conference play, placing last out of four teams in the CCAA.

Santa Barbara was ranked at No. 235 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.

The Gauchos played home games at La Playa Stadium in Santa Barbara, California.