| Year: | 1979 |
| Team: | Houston Cougars |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Southwest Conference |
| Short Conf: | SWC |
| Coachrank: | 5 |
| Aprank: | 5 |
| Record: | 11–1 |
| Conf Record: | 7–1 |
| Head Coach: | Bill Yeoman |
| Hc Year: | 18th |
| Off Coach: | Bill Yeoman |
| Off Scheme: | Houston Veer |
| Def Coach: | Don Todd |
| Stadium: | Houston Astrodome |
| Champion: | SWC co-champion Cotton Bowl Classic champion |
| Bowl: | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| Bowl Result: | W 17–14 vs. Nebraska |
The 1979 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston in the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season.[1] The Cougars were led by 18th-year head coach Bill Yeoman and played their home games at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. They competed as members of the Southwest Conference, finishing as co-champions with Arkansas. This was Houston's second consecutive conference championship, and their third overall in their first four years as members of the conference.
The Cougars finished the season with a record of 11–1. Their only loss was at home to the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns, 21–13. Houston was invited to the 1980 Cotton Bowl Classic, played on New Year's Day, where they defeated seventh-ranked Nebraska. Houston finished ranked fifth in both major final polls.