The 1938 Santa Barbara State Gauchos football team represented Santa Barbara State[note 1] as an independent during the 1938 college football season.
The Gauchos were led by fifth-year head coach Theodore "Spud" Harder and played home games at La Playa Stadium in Santa Barbara, California.
They finished the season with a record of two wins and eight losses (2–8, 0–3 SCIAC).
That included the Gauchos being shut out in six of the ten games.
The following Santa Barbara Gaucho players were selected in the 1939 NFL draft.