The 1982 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its fifth season under head coach Dwight Wallace, the team compiled a 5–6 record (4–4 against MAC opponents) and finished in eighth place out of ten teams in the conference. The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.