1942 Ball State Cardinals football team

The 1942 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State Teachers College (later renamed Ball State University) as a member of the Indiana Intercollegiate Conference (IIC) during the 1942 college football season. In their eighth season under head coach John Magnabosco, the Cardinals compiled a 6–2 record (5–0 against IIC opponents), won the IIC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 178 to 58.

Ball State was ranked at No. 274 (out of 590 college and military teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1942.