The 1979 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State University as a member of the Big Eight Conference during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Donnie Duncan, the Cyclones compiled an overall record of 3–8 with a mark of 2–5 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for fifth in the Big Eight. The team played its home games at Cylcone Stadium in Ames, Iowa.
