| Year: | 1981 |
| Team: | BYU Cougars |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Western Athletic Conference |
| Short Conf: | WAC |
| Coachrank: | 11 |
| Aprank: | 13 |
| Record: | 11–2 |
| Conf Record: | 7–1 |
| Head Coach: | LaVell Edwards |
| Hc Year: | 10th |
| Off Coach: | Roger French |
| Oc Year: | 1st |
| Off Scheme: | West Coast |
| Def Coach: | Fred Whittingham |
| Dc Year: | 3rd |
| Def Scheme: | 4–3 |
| Stadium: | Cougar Stadium |
| Champion: | WAC champion Holiday Bowl champion |
| Bowl: | Holiday Bowl |
| Bowl Result: | W 38–36 vs. Washington State |
The 1981 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University (BYU) in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by 10th-year head coach LaVell Edwards and played their home games at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. The team competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, winning their sixth consecutive conference title with a conference record of 7 - 1. BYU was invited to the 1981 Holiday Bowl, where they defeated Washington State. They were ranked 13th in the final AP Poll with an overall record of 11 - 2.
Jim McMahon passes for 565 yards and becomes the NCAA's career leader in the category.
The following were selected in the 1982 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL team |
| Quarterback | 1 | 5 | Chicago Bears | |
| Dan Plater | Wide receiver | 4 | 106 | Denver Broncos |