The 1979 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University (LSU) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 18th-year head coach Charles McClendon, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 7–5, with a mark of 4–2 in conference play, and finished tied for third in the SEC.^[1]

Bo Rein, who led NC State to the 1979 Atlantic Coast Conference championship, was hired six days after the regular season finale, but McClendon and his staff coached the Tangerine Bowl vs. Wake Forest. Rein perished in a bizarre plane crash January 10, 1980, only 42 days after his hiring and was succeeded by former LSU All-American Jerry Stovall.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15	at Colorado*		Folsom Field Boulder, CO		W 44–0	46,642	[2]
September 22	Rice*		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA		W 47–3	74,934	[3]
September 29	No. 1 USC*	No. 20	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA		L 12–17	78,322	[4]
October 6	Florida	No. 17	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)		W 20–3	73,073	[5]
October 13	at Georgia	No. 13	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA		L 14–21	61,000	[6]
October 20	Kentucky		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA		W 23–19	71,296	[7]
October 27	No. 8 Florida State*		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ABC	L 19–24	67,167	[8]
November 3	at Ole Miss		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)		W 28–24	45,548	[9]
November 10	No. 1 Alabama		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)		L 0–3	73,708	[10]
November 17	Mississippi State		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)		W 21–3	69,454	[11]
November 24	at No. 18 Tulane*		Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (Battle for the Rag)	ABC	L 13–24	73,496	[12]
December 22	vs. Wake Forest*		Orlando Stadium Orlando, FL (Tangerine Bowl)	Mizlou	W 34–10	38,666	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster