The 1979 All-Big Eight Conference football team consists of American football players chosen by various organizations for All-Big Eight Conference teams for the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. The selectors for the 1979 season included the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI).

Offensive selections

Quarterbacks

• Phil Bradley, Missouri (AP-1; UPI-1)
• J. C. Watts, Oklahoma (AP-2)

Running backs

• Billy Sims, Oklahoma (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Jarvis Redwine, Nebraska (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Worley Taylor, Oklahoma State (AP-1)
• Gerry Ellis, Missouri (AP-2)
• James Wilder Sr., Missouri (AP-2)
• L. J. Brown, Kansas State (AP-2)
• Kenny Brown, Nebraska (UPI-2)

Tight ends

• Junior Miller, Nebraska (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Eddy Whitley, Kansas State (AP-2)

Centers

• Paul Tabor, Oklahoma (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Kelly Saalfeld, Nebraska (AP-2; UPI-2)

Offensive guards

• John Havekost, Nebraska (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Reggie Richardson, Oklahoma State (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Dick Cuvelier, Iowa State (AP-2)
• Randy Schleusener, Nebraska (AP-2)

Offensive tackles

• Stan Brock, Colorado (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Louis Oubre, Oklahoma (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Howard Richards, Missouri (AP-2)
• Dave Guender, Missouri (AP-2)
• Mark Goodspeed, Nebraska (UPI-2)

Wide receivers

• David Verser, Kansas (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Tim Smith, Nebraska (AP-2; UPI-1)

Defensive selections

Defensive ends

• Derrie Nelson, Nebraska (AP-1; UPI-1)
• James Walker, Kansas State (AP-2; UPI-1)
• Rick Antle, Oklahoma State (AP-1)
• Wendell Ray, Missouri (AP-2)

Defensive tackles

• Rod Horn, Nebraska (AP-1; UPI-1)
• John Goodman, Oklahoma (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Bill Barnett, Nebraska (AP-2; UPI-2)
• Curtis Boone, Oklahoma State (AP-2)

Middle guards

• Kerry Weinmaster, Nebraska (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Norman Goodman, Missouri (AP-2)

Linebackers

• George Cumby, Oklahoma (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Ricky Young, Oklahoma State (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Bill Roe, Colorado (AP-2)
• Mike Leaders, Iowa State (AP-2)

Defensive backs

• Mark Haynes, Colorado (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Darrol Ray, Oklahoma (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Eric Wright, Missouri (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Mike Schwartz, Iowa State (UPI-1)
• LeRoy Irvin, Kansas (AP-2)
• Gregg Johnson, Oklahoma State (AP-2)
• Basil Banks, Oklahoma (AP-2)

Special teams

Place-kicker

• Dean Sukup, Nebraska (AP-1; UPI-1)
• Colin Ankerson, Oklahoma State (AP-2)

Punter

• Mike Hubach, Kansas (AP-1; UPI-1)

Key

AP = Associated Press^[1]

UPI = United Press International^[2]